United We Stand
by Luxio Nyx
Summary: New aliens are invading Earth and are hellbent on conquering it. With their forces weakened and America, Germany, and Russia missing, can Earth survive? GermanyXItaly USXUK RussiaXCanada
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Germany looked around the meeting room, fighting the urge to cover his ears with his hands as England and France started yelling at each other over food... again. Damn, would those two ever get along? Probably not... And the worst part was, he didn't even have some beer with him to drown his suffering in.

"Germany-san," Japan whispered, his brown eyes narrowing with concern. "I told you to stop thinking about beer. It's not good for your health."

Germany glanced at his one-time ally and friend with shock. Shit, when had he learned to read minds?

"You always get a wistful look on your face when you think of beer," Japan explained quickly, guessing the path that Germany's thoughts had taken once again. "Well, beer and Italy," he added quietly, his cheeks reddening ever-so-slightly.

Germany stared at him in shock and felt his own cheeks redden at the mention of his closest friend and...

"Where is he, anyways?" he grumbled, trying desperately to change the subject. Italy wasn't usually late for the meetings... okay, so he was usually asleep or ranting about pasta, but he was still there.

Japan shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"You are awful at changing the subject," he pointed out in one of his rare moments of frankness. "And I don't know where he is either... He and Romano are both late, actually. What do you think that they are up to?"

Germany frowned at the mention of Italy's brother and refocused his attentions on the meeting which was quickly deteriorating, as usual. England had finally stopped fighting with France, and had now redirected his attentions to yelling at America for eating hamburgers during the meeting. Russia was sitting on Canada again (although Germany had the suspicion that he was the only one who noticed), and China... wait, where was China?

"Japan?" Germany whispered. Japan glanced at him again, his eyebrows raised questioningly. "Where's China?" Germany asked quietly.

"China?" Japan looked around the meeting room, his lips turning down in a slight frown when he saw what Germany had seen. "I don't... is he with the brothers?"

_Mein Gott, I hope not_, Germany thought with a vehemence that surprised him. Of course, he could understand being worried about Italy when he was off with Romano... Romano wasn't exactly known for his intelligence and Germany still hadn't forgotten the phone call misunderstanding (**Hey, this is me, in case anybody forgot, the incident that Germany is talking about is the one where Italy calls him because his hair got tangled with Romano's and Germany... well, he thinks Italy is talking about something ****entirely**** different...**). But China... why should he be anxious about Italy going off with China? It wasn't as if the country had ever actually hurt his friend, and he knew that China could handle himself... still, the anxiety was there.

Germany sighed and shook his head as he got to his feet.

"Oi!" he yelled, his deep voice carrying easily over the noise created by the fighting countries. "Everyone shut up and listen! And Russia, please stop sitting on Canada."

Russia blinked and looked down, his sweet face registering shock as he noticed the quiet man squashed beneath him.

"Sorry Canada," he mumbled apologetically. Canada smiled shakily up at him.

"I-it's okay," he wheezed. "No big d-deal."

"Hey Russia," America yelled, his blue eyes flashing behind his glasses. "Get off of my little bro!"

"You did not even notice that he was there," Russia pointed out, his deceptively sweet voice failing to mask the fury that was beginning to appear in his violet eyes. "I hardly think that it is fair to attack me."

"I wasn't attacking you, stupid, I was yelling, but now that you mention it..."

"America," England interrupted furiously. "For God's sake, do you have to pick a fight with everyone? And don't even start with that 'I'm the hero!' shit."

America stared at England, his expression slightly hurt. England blushed and looked down at the table sheepishly.

"Anyways..." Germany interrupted, feeling acutely uncomfortable. "Has anyone else noticed that China and the Italy brothers are mis-?"

"Hello! Germany!" Italy's slightly high-pitched voice called. Germany and the others looked up as the dark-haired Italian flew into the room, followed closely by his nearly identical brother and China. "Hiyah everybody! So sorry we're late!"

"Where the hell were you?" Germany yelled, his cheeks going red with anger. Japan sighed and gently placed his hand on Germany's shoulder in an effort to shove him back into his chair.

"Italy, Romano, China," he greeted in a calm voice. "Thank you for coming."

"Shut up, we know you're pissed," Romano grumbled, his hazel eyes still flashing with something that wasn't quite fear. "We found something," he added, his piercing gaze sweeping across the assembled countries.

"What is it?" England demanded, ridiculously grateful to focus on something other than the shame that had been eating him up ever since his outburst at America.

"Aliens," China reported, his arms wrapped tightly around the panda that normally traveled in the basket he wore on his shoulders.

"What... like Tony?" America asked slowly.

"No..." China replied, his face adopting the confused expression most of the countries wore when America's extraterrestrial friend came up in the conversation. "No, these are... they aren't like the other aliens that we have had contact with."

"You mean those unfashionable white blobs that tried to steal our- well, my sexiness and turn our citizens into more unfashionable blobs?"

"Yep! I liked them," Italy piped up cheerfully.

"What the hell-?" Romano began. He stopped and shook his head before starting again. "We found the aliens while showing China around our country. We stopped near our border with Austria and saw these... these things attacking Austria and Hungary. They were holding them off as well as they could and we tried to help..."

"Actually, _I_ tried to help," China interrupted, barely disguising the irritation he felt at his two companions. "Italy hid behind a crate of tomatoes and Romano was too busy swearing to actually try and fight."

"Why you bas-!"

"Wait, Romano, we did do that, didn't we?" Italy interrupted, his expression quickly becoming confused.

"Italy, shut up," Germany hissed. He hastily moved to stand between the two brothers, not liking the look he was seeing on Romano's face.

"Anyways," China continued, visibly irritated. "We were too late to save Austria and Hungary... I don't know where they took them, and when we went to look for the other-." China stopped speaking for a moment, his dark eyes suddenly filled with pain.

"They were all gone," Italy finished, his face uncharacteristically sober as he thought about the missing countries that they had seen... of the empty houses and burnt countrysides, and the millions of injured humans lying moaning on the ground beside bodies that had already gone silent. "It was awful," he added quietly.

Germany glanced over at him in shock. Was this the same Italy who had walked in only seconds ago calling his name in that annoyingly cheerful voice?

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" America snapped, his face pale. "Who was-?"

"Vietnam, Taiwan, India, and the Koreas are gone," China mumbled.

"So were Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland," Romano added.

"Mr. Russia?" Italy whispered, waiting until the tall man had met his gaze. "We couldn't find your sisters, and your friends Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are missing too."

Russia stared at him for a moment in disbelief as the news sank in, the fury rising in his eyes as a dark shadow fell across his face.

"Where are these aliens?" he demanded coldly.

"Russia, please," China urged. "You cannot fight them. None of us can, we need to go."

"Where?" England demanded, his green eyes unconsciously flickering in America's direction. "It sounds like these creatures have already taken over most of Europe, and who knows when one of our homes will be next?"

"Could we go to Switzerland's house?" France suggested, not exactly hiding the gleam in his eyes that appeared at the thought of being in the same house as the angry country and his adorable sister Liechtenstein. "He is protected by his barrier of neutrality, non?"

"We could stay here," America offered. "New York is totally big enough to hold all of us. Besides, why do we even need to run? We're not in our countries.. well, except for me, and there's no way a bunch of dumb aliens can beat me on my own turf!"

"I like France's idea," Canada mumbled, not really expecting anyone to listen to him.

"I agree with Canada and France," Russia added, much to the surprise of the young man whose chest had been crushed by Russia's weight not ten minutes before. "Switzerland's home is always safe, and the closer we are to the place where my family disappeared, the easier it will be for me to track them down and exile their attackers to Siberia."

Everyone assembled shuddered at the mention of Russia's frozen-wasteland of a prison before resuming their argument. Germany stepped away from the fighting countries, making sure to keep Italy behind him. After a few moments, Japan also detached himself from the crowd and came to join his friends.

"What do you think?" he murmured.

"I will not run like a coward," Germany asserted stubbornly. "Not even from these aliens."

"B-but Germany," Italy gasped, his normally rosy cheeks paling with fear. "You didn't see what they did to Austria and Hungary... You can't fight them! Hungary and Austria and China fought and fought and China barely got away and... Germany, I think they're dead."

"Austria and Hungary?" Japan clarified.

Italy nodded slowly, his hazel eyes filling with tears at the thought of the people who had been like parents to him.

"They both fell after a group of the aliens attacked them with some guns and then there was a big flash like some sort of bomb... there was- there was fire everywhere, and I couldn't see Austria or Hungary... China pulled me away with Romano before the aliens could return so I didn't see them again..."

"They could still be alive, Italy," Japan assured him quickly.

"You think so?" Italy whispered, his face brightening slightly.

"Yes," Japan replied simply. "Right, Germany?"

Germany started, his face reddening as Italy focused on him with rising hope in his eyes. Dammit, why had Japan done this? He knew Germany wasn't the best person to go to for comfort... he would only screw up and make Italy cry and then everything would be horrible...

"Germany?" Italy's small voice broke easily through his frenzied thoughts, causing Germany to look down at his friend.

"Will Austria and Hungary and the others be okay?" Italy asked.

Germany nodded immediately and tried to force a smile onto his face, although the action felt forced and unnaturally stiff, even to him.

"Y-ya," he whispered. "Of course they will."

Italy smiled and wrapped his arms around his friend in a quick hug that sent ripple of warmth through Germany's body. Germany stiffened and glanced at Japan in a panic. His ally smiled slightly and turned away, giving his two friends privacy. The others were still arguing, and as far as he could tell nothing had been decided on without their noticing. Japan sighed. When would they all just get along?


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! So, I kinda forgot to put in a disclaimer (yeah... forgot is the right word...) but, I am forced to admit, I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters (NOOOOO!). Also, please don't hesitate to review and tell me what you think, okay? I welcome all reviews, even negative ones!**

Chapter 2

America glanced behind him at the sound of England's swearing, his mouth turning up into a small smile despite the situation that they found themselves in.

"Are you sure that you don't want to stay back in New York, Iggy?" he asked playfully.

England glared at him, another curse word breaking from his lips as he tripped over yet another tree root.

"Don't you dare start," he growled. "It's bad enough that damn France always calls me... Bloody hell, why does Switzerland have so many bloody trees surrounding his bloody country? And how are we even supposed to get through this bloody barrier anyways?"

"You know, you say the word bloody a lot," America pointed out, his smile widening.

"Shut up, you git," England muttered. "Where the hell are France and Canada? Weren't they supposed to be here by-?"

"Calm down," France called lazily as he and a very pale Canada walked- or, rather, stumbled out of the trees. "We are right here. And I heard that comment, Iggy. Why must you always put swear words before my name?"

"Because you ask for it, idiot," England snapped. "And stop laughing, America!"

America allowed one last snicker to break through his lips before he forced himself to be serious again.

"Does anyone remember how to get into Switzy's house?" he asked, his brows furrowing in confusion as he glanced up at the gleaming barrier of neutrality that somehow always popped up in times of trouble.

"YOU BLOODY FORGOT HOW TO GET IN!"

"There goes the word bloody again, Iggy..."

"Stop calling me that!"

"If you two are done releasing sexual tensions, perhaps we should try calling him?" France interrupted impatiently as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"What do you mean sexual-?" England began furiously.

"P-please s-stop," Canada interrupted, his voice nearly breaking in fear. The others turned to stare at him in shock. Canada never spoke up... at least, they never heard him when he spoke.

"What's up, bro?" America asked cautiously, still slightly unnerved by the fear plastered across his brother's face.

"I... hear something."

"What-?" England began.

"Oh, hello," a sweet voice called, causing the four countries to jump.

Russia stepped out of the shadows of the trees surrounding Switzerland, a pick-ax swung casually over his shoulder, his violet eyes still flashing with the fury that had taken hold of him since he had received the news of his family's disappearance.

"Russia..." Canada whispered, earning himself another shocked glance from his companions and a small smile from the country he was speaking to.

"Hello, little Canada," Russia greeted quietly. "It is nice to see you not being sat on."

"Weren't you the one sitting on him?" France broke in silkily, causing Canada to blush. Russia ignored him completely.

"Were you also trying to get into Switzerland's house?" Russia asked.

Canada nodded and gave his brother a pleading look.

"Uh... yeah," America said slowly. "Yeah, totally. France was just going to call-."

Russia walked silently past the four, his hands pulling the pick-ax from his shoulder. A small, slightly manic smile flashed across his face as he pulled the ax back over his head.

"Russia, what-?" England began as the tip of the ax collided with the barrier.

A bright flash of light erupted from the tip of the ax, causing the countries to shield their eyes from the glare. Russia snickered at the sight, his small laugh dying in his throat as he felt a small hand grasp the sleeve of his coat. He glanced down to see Canada, his crystal blue eyes squeezed shut behind his glasses, his one arm clutching his polar bear tightly to his chest as he grasped Russia's sleeve with the other.

Russia felt his lips turn up in a small smile, only to have it fade as Belarus and the Balkan countries flew through his mind. He had loved them too, and Belarus still insisted that she loved him but... he had hurt them. He knew that, even as he crushed Latvia beneath his grip and nearly scared Lithuania and Estonia to death. He knew he hurt those that he loved... and he didn't want to hurt this small, quiet country in the same way.

Finally, the light faded, allowing the other countries to open their eyes. Canada gave a small cry of shock when he saw that he was clutching Russia's sleeve and hastily tore his hand away, his face red with embarrassment. America noticed.

"So," he began, trying to hide the unease that his brother's behavior towards Russia was causing him. "Why exactly did you just-?"

"What idiot just tried to attack my barrier with a pick-ax?" Switzerland's furious voice interrupted, drowning out America with his fury.

Russia allowed a small, slightly less insane, smile to flash across his face and watched as France drew closer to the barrier with what he thought was a seductive smile as Switzerland's furious face appeared on the other side of the wall.

"Why, _bonjour_ Switzy," he crooned. "We were just wondering if we could come in for a little while..."

"Germany, I'm scared," Italy whined, his hands reaching out to clasp Germany's arm.

"Shut up, you wimp," Romano snapped impatiently. "I can't believe you're afraid of the frickin' dark."

Italy blushed but continued to hold his friend tightly. Germany glanced back at Romano, trying (and failing) to hide the anger that the Italian's comment had caused. Why did he always have to be so hard on Italy?

"Germany-san," Japan whispered, breaking through Germany's anger. "Are we getting close? I think that China is getting tired..."

"I am not," China interrupted furiously. "I was simply wondering why we needed to run to Switzerland. He is such a coward..."

"It is the only safe place for us," Germany retorted mechanically, repeating the line that Japan had hammered into his head to keep him from trying to kill the aliens who had hurt Italy... erm, Italy's friends.

"Is that it?" Italy interrupted suddenly, his hazel eyes focusing on a bright light that had suddenly erupted in the trees a few feet ahead. "Is that the barrier?"

Germany nodded and pushed forward, Italy's arm still tightly wound around his own. He frowned when he heard the unmistakeable sound of France's voice, lowered in what he obviously thought was a seductive whisper.

"...if we could come in for a little while," he was saying.

"If they go in, we come too," Germany added as he broke through the last of the trees with his companions. "We need shelter, Switzerland."

"And you think that I will give it to you?" Switzerland demanded.

"If you do not, we will die," Japan snapped, losing his normal composure in the face of Switzerland's stubbornness.

"You'll what?" Switzerland repeated, looking shocked.

"There are creatures after us," China added. "Extraterrestrials. They have been attacking the other countries. I saw them destroy Austria and Hungary only hours ago."

Italy whimpered at the mention of his two foster parents and tightened his grip on Germany.

Switzerland took a step back, looking as if he had been slapped.

"Austria?" he repeated weakly. "He is-?"

"Yes," China said simply.

"Big brother?"

Everyone turned in the direction of the new voice and watched as Liechtenstein, Switzerland's adopted sister, came to join her brother.

"Brother," she repeated, her quiet voice pleading. "Let them in."

Switzerland stared at her for a long moment, obviously still recovering from the news China had given him of Austria. After a few long moments, he nodded.

"Yes," he murmured. "Yes... everyone, please, come-."

Romano's scream interrupted the other country's invitation, his eyes widening in fear as he looked over his shoulder.

"They're here!" he yelled.

Germany swore and pushed Italy towards the barrier.

"Open it!" he shouted at Switzerland. "Get them all inside, I'll hold them off."

"B-but, Germany-," Italy began.

"Go!" Germany roared, his hand already going to the pistol he kept at his belt. "Japan, get him inside and keep him there."

Japan nodded solemnly, his brown eyes worried, and proceeded to drag Italy towards the border, China and Romano close behind.

"Everyone, get inside," Switzerland ordered, his hands poised to open the barrier.

"No way!" America snarled with a vehemence that surprised the others. "There's no way I'm letting Germany fight alone. I'm the hero, there's no way I'm running away like a coward!"

"America!" England yelled, his skin going white as the country brushed past him, already shrugging out of his bomber jacket.

"Get in there, England," America snapped, his blue eyes locking with England's green ones for a brief moment. "And keep this safe for me, will ya? I'll be back to get it soon," he added, holding out his jacket.

England hesitated for a moment before nodding, his eyes suddenly bright with tears.

"Be careful, you bloody git," he whispered. "Or I'll come after you."

"Don't," America murmured, his words so quiet that England wondered if he had misheard him. "Keep Canada safe!"

England nodded and signaled for France to follow him, his free hand reaching out to grab the arm of America's brother, who at that moment was staring in horror as his twin ran after Germany into the unknown.

"America-," he began, moving as if to follow.

"Oh no you don't," England snapped, his grip tightening on the quiet man's arm. "France, give me a hand here."

France nodded and grasped Canada's other arm. He paused for a moment, his eyes following Russia as the tall country tore after America and Germany into the trees, his pick-ax poised to strike.

"Russia!" France called after him, slightly surprised to hear Canada's small cry joining his own in calling the country's name.

Russia ignored them as he had ignored so many others, the tip of his white scarf quickly disappearing into the darkness. France and England shook their heads at the man's stupidity and hauled Canada through the barrier after Japan, China, and the Italy brothers. Switzerland hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering back to the place where the three other countries had disappeared, before he shut the barrier once more, blocking the aliens- and the allies- out.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Germany grunted as his shoulder made contact with yet another tree branch, his eyes narrowing into a squint as he tried to force his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the forest. It didn't look like there was anything out there... had Romano been lying to them? But why would he-?

"Yo, Germany! Wait up, man!"

Germany groaned and looked over his shoulder, his sharp blue eyes just barely distinguishing America's lithe form from among the thousands of trees that surrounded them. _Lieber Gott_, did that stupid country always have to stick his nose into everything?

America slowed and pulled up on Germany's right side, his blue eyes gleaming with excitement beneath his glasses. He glanced around at the trees, his brow furrowing slightly in confusion.

"I don't see anything..." he murmured. "Do ya think Romano was lying?"

_Didn't I just think that?_ Germany thought furiously. Damn these stupid Americans, always stating the obvious. "I don't know," he grumbled.

"Oh," America pouted, obviously disappointed that he didn't get to be the 'hero' again. God that country was annoying... did he honestly think that he helped anyone with his irritating superiority complex?

"Maybe we should head back, there's obviously nothing out here," Germany snapped. He didn't know if he could stand another moment alone with America without actually strangling the country.

America nodded, still looking slightly disappointed. _Man_, he thought dejectedly. _I really wanted to kick some alien butt... it would've given Arthur a heart attack._ Whoa, wait, why had he thought that? And why was he calling England Arthur all of a sudden? He hadn't said that name aloud since before the Revolution...

"Vy, lyudi takie lyubiteli." Russia's voice came out of the trees behind them, making the two countries jump despite themselves. (**hey, just so you know, dear Russia is calling Germany and America amateurs.)**

"Geez, Russia, way to scare the crap outta us," America grumbled. His expression sobered suddenly and he glanced sharply at the other country. "What do you mean we're amateurs?"

"You are missing obvious signs," Russia stated simply, his face quickly adopting the sweet look that he used whenever he didn't want to scare nations away or alert them to the turmoil that frequently tore him apart from within. "They are here."

"Where-?" Germany began impatiently, only to have his voice die in his throat when he heard a voice calling his name, a voice so terrified and horribly familiar that it made his chest ache.

"Germany!" Italy's terrified voice broke through the night.

"Italy!" Germany screamed, the blood draining from his cheeks at the fear in the country's voice. He moved to run in the direction of his friend's voice, only to be held back by America's strong hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, man, where do you think you're goin'?" the country asked, his youthful face confused.

"Italy is out there," Germany huffed, momentarily forgetting his impatience with the irksome country. "I need to..."

"I didn't here him," Russia spoke up, his violet eyes fixed on Germany with an almost thoughtful expression. "I don't here anything..."

"Do you think it's them? The... aliens?" America asked hesitantly, trying to hide the unease that was quickly building inside of him. No, heroes didn't show fear... especially not in front of Russia.

Russia shrugged and looked around him again, his eyes narrowing.

"I think-," he began, only to have his own voice cut off by two screams that shattered the stillness of the night like a gunshot.

"Belarus?" he gasped, his eyes widening with a rare show of fear for his sister. "Ukraine? Where-?" His sisters' screams erupted again, this time leading him in the same direction where Germany had been heading. Russia frowned. These were more games, then. These creatures were trying to bait him, like they had baited Germany. He would not fall for it, though. He was Russia, he was stronger than the rest of those-.

"Hello?" a small voice came out of the darkness with surprising strength, piercing through the wall that Russia had begun to build around himself. The country paused and looked in the direction of the voice with a frown, ignoring the fact that it was where he had heard Belarus and Ukraine's voices only moments before. "Is someone there? Please... H-help!"

"Canada?" Russia murmured, more than a little confused.

America stiffened at the sound of his twin's name and glanced at Russia with shock. Wait... why was Russia saying Canada's name?

"Italy!" Germany screamed again, his expression getting more anxious by the second as he strained against America's grip to go after 'Italy'.

America looked between the two obviously confused countries, replaying in his mind's eye the many times that Germany had looked at Italy with something that was definitely a lot more than friendship and remembering with a shudder the look Russia had given his brother when Mattie had taken his hand off of the larger country's sleeve. Was that the alien's game? Did they play on people's emotions to find their weaknesses and lure them to their dooms?

Canada's quiet voice floated towards him through the trees, basically confirming America's suspicions. He shook off the urge to help his 'brother' and tried to focus on a way to snap Germany and Russia out of whatever trance they were in. Lucky he didn't have anyone special. America wouldn't be conquered by mind games-.

"America?"

Shit. "England?"

"Please... America... help me... I can't fight them."

"England?" America called again, momentarily forgetting that he had sworn not to be taken in by such tricks. "Where are you, buddy? What are you doing out here?"

"Please... help..."

"Italy!" Germany yelled again, making America jump. The country broke out of America's restraining grip and began to run towards the trees, only to be taken down by a tackle from Russia.

"Such a stubborn country," Russia muttered. "And so easily fooled," he added almost gleefully, forgetting for the moment that he had also been taken in.

America shook himself and pushed Russia off of Germany before helping to pull the fallen country to his feet. Germany glared at the two of them, his cheeks reddening as he muttered something about how he had know exactly what he was doing. America rolled his eyes and looked around at the forest that surrounded them, trying to shake off the unease that the sound of England's voice had awakened inside of him. What kind of aliens were they dealing with?

"Hey, Russia," he murmured. "Can you hear anything?"

"Da..." Russia answered slowly, his head cocked to the side as he strained his ears for the smallest sound. "Footsteps, I think... shuffling. They are slow, but big."

"Bigger than you?" America asked doubtfully.

Russia nodded absently, his violet eyes already focusing on an especially dark area of the forest. He shifted the pick ax that had somehow stayed in place on his broad shoulder and lowered the weapon into his large hands, his eyes glinting with murderous rage tinged with a disturbing glee. America hastily positioned himself beside Russia, his hands already curling into fists. Germany hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering towards the trees behind them.

"I hear something from there, as well," he murmured.

"Cover our backs, then," America said simply, his adrenaline already pumping in expectation of the fight that he knew was coming. Oh man, this was going to be sweet... England would be so jealous!

Germany glared at him and shook his head in disgust. He shifted into a fighting stance, his shoulders pressed against the edge of America's back, his fists raised in front of him like a boxer. A low growl escaped his lips as the sound of rustling reached him through the trees around them. They were surrounded.

"We're going to die," he murmured.

"Wow, you are such a pessimist," America snickered, trying to ignore the feeling (no, it wasn't fear, heroes didn't feel fear) that was beginning to replace the adrenaline.

Russia simply smiled, his eyes zeroing in on the shadows as a dark shape began to detach itself from the trees, its red eyes boring into the country's with grim determination. A small roar that was half-laughter, half-battle cry escaped Russia's lips as he launched himself towards the alien, his pick ax swinging down into the creature's skull. America followed, his fists connecting with hardened flesh as he swung blindly into the shadows of the trees. A high screech replied to his attacks, making the young country grin. Another screech echoed the first from behind them, signaling Germany's involvement.

"Aw man, this is going to be so easy," America quipped.

Germany glanced over his shoulder at the obnoxious American, tempted to agree with him despite himself. These creatures weren't that tough... He couldn't understand how they had beaten Austria and Hungary... Then his blue eyes locked on the expression on Russia's face and his heart sank.

Russia stared down at the alien whose skull had so recently been cracked in two by his pick ax, his purple eyes widening in shock as the creature struggled to his feet, the gash in his skull already healing. The alien glanced back at him expressionlessly, its hands now clasping a thick silver rod that was quickly materializing into a large ax.

"Oh crap," America hissed, his blue eyes following the creature's movements with amazement. "This is bad."

"Da," Russia agreed, only dimly surprised that he was actually agreeing with the country who had been his enemy for decades. "It is indeed bad, very bad." He bit back a yelp as the alien lunged at him with the newly created ax. He blocked the weapon before the blade could embed itself in his skull, his eyes widening as the ax cleaved neatly through his own weapon.

America swore and aimed a roundhouse kick at the alien's chest before it could go after Russia again. The tall country nodded once in something that was almost a thank you, his large hands already slamming into the skull of a second alien that had detached itself from the shadows.

"We need to get out of here," Germany yelled, his voice trailing off into a grunt as he delivered a neat chop onto the back of an alien's neck before hitting a second in the gut with a knife-edge kick.

"We can't go back to the barrier," America snapped, his arms crossing in front of his face to block yet another attack. He reached out to grab the attacker's head and slammed it into his knee, smiling in satisfaction when he heard the skull crack. "What if they can get through it? We'd be leading them right to the others."

"Assuming they can get through the barrier," Russia mused, his voice strangely calm as the palm of his hand connected with an alien's forehead. "Kol kol kol," he chuckled absently, his violet eyes flashing wickedly.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that, actually," America added, his foot lashing out in a front ball kick that hit the target perfectly. "Didn't Austria have a barrier? You know, the one he used when the picts attacked? I mean, I don't remember seeing a him as a white blob."

"You think that they got through his barrier?" Germany gasped, his knuckled slamming into the throat of yet another alien. He paused for a moment, his thoughts going back to Italy and Japan. Would they be alright? He shouldn't have left them...

"No... I don't know... I mean, maybe," America admitted. "But... even if they can't get through the barrier... what if they use that mind trick thing that they used on you two? They could have lured Austria and Hungary out of the barrier and... well, if they did that to the others..." He paused for a moment to slam his shoulder into an alien's jaw, his fist quickly following in a falcon punch that sent the creature flying. "If you two were taken in so easily, can you imagine what would happen if they used their little hypnosis thing on Italy or Mattie?"

"Who is Mattie?" Russia asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. He stepped neatly over the alien he had so recently knocked to the ground to his next opponent, his half-open fist already slamming into the creature's esophagus. He giggled slightly as the alien went down before turning back to America. "And I was not taken in. I had everything under control."

"Mattie is my brother, you know... uh- Canada," America snapped. "Which you should know since you called out his name when the aliens tried to abduct you and suck your brains out."

"How was I supposed to know that your brother's name is Mattie?" Russia snapped. "And I don't know what you are talking about."

"Uh huh."

"Will you two shut up?" Germany growled. He leaped out of the way as his latest alien attacker came at him with a ax similar to the one that had destroyed Russia's pick ax. "We need a plan."

"I thought kicking these bastards' asses was the plan?" America wondered.

"That is always your plan, isn't it?" Russia mused. "It's a wonder you've won any wars at all, really."

"Enough!" Germany growled harshly. He had had enough of this... even Italy wasn't this annoying. At least he could get along with Japan and Italy, his allies. These countries- these people who had once been a part of the "Allied Powers"- they couldn't go for a minute without arguing.

An alien leaped over one of his fallen comrades and ran at Germany, foolishly thinking that it would have the upper hand when the country was so distracted. Germany snarled at it and whipped out the pistol that he always had with him, his instincts nearly begging him to pull the trigger.

"_Guten Nacht_," he hissed.

"No, Germany, wait-!" America yelled. The sound of a gunshot cut off his warning.

Germany blinked in surprise, his blue eyes traveling down to the red hole that had appeared in his chest, the hole that was now leaking blood like a broken faucet. He glanced at the alien he had meant to shoot, his eyes widening when he saw the creature look back at him over the barrel of a gun identical to his own, its red eyes gleaming with sadistic glee. Blood rose in his throat, choking Germany with the iron flavor. The country sank to his knees, barely hearing the American's renewed calls for Russia's assistance. His eyes ran over the trees that surrounded him, searching for someone, the one person he needed to see before he died. A dark head appeared out of the shadows, causing the dying country's heart to leap even as it became cold with fear. Italy was really here... he shouldn't have come, it was dangerous-.

No, the man wasn't Italy. Germany frowned in confusion, feeling some distant part of his mind perk up in recognition as the man drew closer, his bronze armor gleaming beneath a soft red cape. The man paused to glance in the direction of the yelling American and silent Russian before moving forward. He knelt until he was level with Germany, his hazel eyes- so like his grandson's- dark with a sadness that only ancient countries could understand.

"I have a plan," he whispered, his soft voice caressing the now-quiet night like the songs he had sang so many years before when the Axis Powers were under attack from the Allies. "However, I do not think that you are going to like it." Then, more quietly, the man added "Forgive me."

A flash of light accompanied by a crashing roar rose up around Germany, reminding him almost immediately of an atomic bomb. He heard America's cries fade and felt the ground tremble as his two companions fell to the ground. He didn't turn to see what had happened to them, his blue eyes locked on the sad eyes that were still watching him as he began to lose consciousness. Italy's eyes.

His grandfather's eyes.

**Hey, sorry for the slight delay. I have exams all this week so I won't be able to write too much... I only finished this chapter because I started it before exams started and finished it when I was... um... taking a break (no, it's not called procrastinating...). Anyways, I'll make sure to have another one up when school's over and I've updated the other story that I'm working on right now. Anyways... YAY CLIFFY! hehehe, sorry, but I do so love cliffhangers...**

**Also, reviews are love, so please review! I want to hear what you think and I want to know if I'm doing anything horribly wrong that would make Russia want to track me down... not that I'd mind it, exactly, I love Russia.**

**Also, I do not own Hetalia, or aliens or Switzerland (I'm working on that one, jk)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Italy craned his neck, struggling to see through the pulsing white light of Switzerland's border. His eyes combed the trees surrounding the barrier for what must have been the hundredth time for the familiar blond head that had rushed off an eternity ago... or had it only been moments ago? He couldn't remember, exactly- time didn't seem to cooperate when he was worried.

"Hey fratello!" Italy flinched but didn't turn around as his brother's voice broke through the silence that had surrounded him since Germany left.

Romano's eyes narrowed as he reached his brother, easily reading his twin's worry from the pallor of his skin beneath the Italian's dark brown hair.

"Hey," he called again, somehow managing to keep his voice nonchalant. "That buddy of yours was wondering how long you would be staying out here."

"Buddy? Do you mean- is Germany back?" Italy asked, his eyes glowing with relief as he looked over at his brother for the first time.

Romano shifted uncomfortably and shook his head, his dark eyes straying towards the trees that his twin had been studying only moments before.

"No," he muttered quietly. "The other one... Japan or whatever."

"Oh..." Italy felt his cheeks burn slightly. He should have known... he would have seen it if Germany had returned, and besides his friend would have come to look for Italy himself, not send Romano.

"Fratello... Feliciano..." Italy looked back at his twin, slightly surprised that he was using his human name. Romano hardly ever referred to him by any name other than Italy or even the occasional Veneziano.

"What is it, Lovino?" he asked warily, slipping easily into the habit of calling his brother by his own human name.

Romano sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration, his dark eyes flashing with what Italy recognized as concern.

"Do you- do you really think that all of the others that we couldn't find were taken like Austria and Hungary?" he asked quietly. "I mean... They could have run away, right? They could still be safe, couldn't they?"

"Are you talking about Spain?" Italy asked, his youthful features suddenly serious as he remembered the look on his twin's face when they had seen Spain's empty home ravaged by flames.

Romano stiffened, his cheeks reddening in furious embarrassment.

"I- no I was- not that bastard-," he sputtered. He stopped abruptly and ran his hand through his hair again in exasperation. "We should get back before the others start to worry," he said finally. "Your ally, what's-his-name, will be worried..."

"Ve~ why would Japan be worried about me?" Italy wondered, showing a hint of his usual cheerfulness.

Romano rolled his eyes and grabbed his twin's arm, trying to hide his relief.

"Come on, idiot," he grumbled. "We should get back... see if that asino Switzerland has any pasta."

"Yay! Do you think he will?" Italy asked eagerly. He allowed Romano to begin to drag him away from the barrier, although he continued to look over his shoulder at the trees every so often, as if hoping to see a familiar blond with clear blue eyes appear out of thin air.

"Probably not- lo stronzo stupido only buys horrible cheese and other crap like..." Romano's voice trailed off as he glanced behind him at his brother, his dark eyes widening. "What the hell-?"

Italy frowned and followed Romano's gaze, his own hazel eyes widening in mute horror as a flash of light erupted from within the forest, followed quickly by the booming roar that normally only accompanied the explosion of a bomb.

"Mio Dio," he gasped. "Germany!"

"No- Feliciano!" Romano gasped, his arms wrapping around his twin's shoulders to hold him back as the Italian launched himself towards the barrier.

"Romano? Italy?"

Romano's head whipped in the direction of the new voice, nearly breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Japan hurrying towards them with Switzerland and the others behind him.

"Romano-san, what happened?" Japan demanded, his brown eyes bright with rare concern as they flickered between the frantic Italy and the barrier.

"That light- I was taking Italy away and- it just appeared and it sounds like a bomb," Romano struggled to explain, nearly tripping over his words in an attempt to explain.

"Is it like the light we saw when Austria and Hungary were-?" China began.

"The same," Romano interrupted, his breath becoming slightly labored as his twin continued to struggle. "Shit. Can I have some help here?"

Japan nodded and reached out to take one of Italy's flailing arms as Romano retained his grip on the other.

"Where are America and the others?" England snapped, his wide green eyes fixed on the fading light in the distance. "Did they-?"

"They are still out there," Switzerland interrupted tersely. "I can sense them faintly since they are so close to my borders-." He stopped suddenly, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What-?"

"Big brother?" Liechtenstein whispered. "What is the matter?"

"I-I can't sense them any more. They're all... they are all gone."

Italy cried out again and renewed his struggles against his brother and ally. Canada groaned and pulled Kumajiro against his chest, not really expecting anyone to notice his distress. To his surprise, he felt England's hand on his shoulder and looked up at the country that had been his caretaker many years before.

"Don't worry," England growled, his eyes flashing with a fury that he had not felt since his days as a pirate. "I will find America, I'll bring him back."

Canada nodded, feeling slightly guilty. How could he explain that America wasn't the only one he worried for, that there was a quiet, slightly insane, violet-eyed Russian occupying his thoughts alongside the loud, blue-eyed American?

"I will come," he said softly. "I will help."

As always, no one heard him except Kumajiro, who only glanced up at his master with confusion.

"Who?" the polar bear murmured.

"Canada," the country sighed. "I feed you."

"Oh. Don't go, it's dangerous."

Canada gave the bear a comforting squeeze and looked back at the countries as Italy also expressed his determination to find Germany and the others.

"No one is going anywhere," Switzerland snapped. "You came here because this is the only safe place left, and America, Russia, and Germany put you all in my care before they left. I won't let you endanger yourselves by going on a suicide mission."

"Since when do you owe America, Germany, or Russia anything?" England snapped. "And I do not take orders from anyone."

"We need to stay safe," Switzerland insisted.

"I agree," France interrupted. "As much as I want to help my fellow countries, Angleterre, I will not endanger my own people by getting myself killed for anyone."

"Your people are more than likely destroyed by aliens by now anyways, frog," England snapped.

"We don't know that," France snapped back. "Besides, America, Germany, and Russia can handle themselves. They are our best fighters."

"Even the best can be beaten in battle," Japan murmured quietly.

"Shut up!" England snapped, his cheeks going pale at the thought. "I need to go out there now, I need to save them-."

"You need to save him," Switzerland interrupted savagely. "I'm sorry, England, but I won't let you. We need to stay alive and safe for our own sakes."

"Funny," England sneered. "I never took you for a coward. I suppose that rifle you always carry with you is just for show, then? No wonder you never fight, you're too scared of a little pain-."

The other countries flinched as Switzerland's fist connected with England's chin, sending the Englishman sprawling. The blond Swiss lifted England by the lapels and brought his lips to the country's ears.

"If I went into battle, my sister would follow and she would be killed," he growled. "Do not pretend to know everything about me, England. I will fight to protect myself and others, but I will not endanger myself needlessly to launch a harebrained rescue attempt when we don't even know what our enemy is like. More importantly, I will not endanger Liechtenstein when she cannot protect herself."

England fell silent. After a few moments, he nodded to Switzerland to let him go and, without another word, turned to walk back to the house that the countries had vacated at the sight of the flash. He didn't notice when one of the countries followed him- although to be fair hardly anyone noticed Canada. England paused when he was sure that the other countries were no longer watching him and looked back towards the gleaming barrier that now separated him from America.

"I will find him," he promised quietly. "I will bring you back, Alfred, with or without their help."

"Let me help." Canada's quiet voice was ignored again by the Englishman as the country continued on towards Switzerland's house, absorbed by the plans he was just beginning to formulate. America's brother frowned and pulled Kumajiro closer to his chest, feeling the familiar sense of frustration rising inside of him. Why could no one hear him? Why did they only see Alfred?

"Someday they'll see me," the Canadian murmured. "Someday I'll matter."

"Who?" the polar bear in his arms managed to squeak, its dark eyes reproachful as it struggled to breathe.

Canada loosened his grip on the bear with an apology, ignoring the animal's traditional question.

"Kumaji," he murmured. "I'm going to leave you here, okay? Ask France to take care of you, or Liechtenstein. They'll feed you."

"Why?" the bear demanded, forgetting to ask who his master was for once.

"I'm leaving," Canada said firmly. "To find my brother." _And Russia, _he added mentally, although he still wasn't sure why the insane country was in his thoughts at all.

_Later_, he told himself firmly. There would be plenty of time to wonder what his feelings were for the Russian... after he was sure that both Russia and his brother had returned and were safe.

England slipped silently out of his bedchamber, pausing to let his green eyes sweep the ornate hallways of Switzerland's home to make sure no one was watching... or stalking him (he knew for a fact that France had been told which room was his).

The country nodded in satisfaction when he saw that no one was around and continued on his way, his hands hovering over the twin pistols that he had hidden in the pockets of his jacket. The guns wouldn't do much good in an extended battle- he supposed he should have packed some extra rounds but there hadn't been much room in his pack next to the knives he had placed in his pack beneath America's- Alfred's bomber jacket.

England paused again as he reached the end of the hall, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings one last time to make sure that no one had seen him. He didn't want to get into another fight with Switzerland, and he knew that if any other country found him it was very likely that he would be locked in his room with no chance of escaping.

Someone gently tapped on England's shoulder, making his muscles tense. One of his hands tightened on the hilt of one of his pistols as he whirled around to face the new arrival, his green eyes widening as they collided with light violet irises hidden behind a pair of glasses.

"A-."

"Call me America or Alfred and I swear I'll call Kumajiro and have him attack you," Matthew Williams snapped.

"Canada?" England hissed instead, dimly surprised by the fact that he had remembered the country this time. Although, Canada could be quite memorable when he wanted to be.

The Canadian nodded, looking pleased. His mauve eyes flickered to the slight bulges in the older country's pockets and his lips curved upward into a slight smile.

"Pistols?" he guessed.

England nodded, feeling slightly sheepish. "I have some knives in my pack."

"Nice." Matthew hesitated before reaching into the lining of the dark jacket that had replaced his usual red hoodie. He failed to suppress a grin as he showed the Englishman his own dagger and gestured towards the rifle strapped to his back. "I slipped Russia's lead pipe in with my rifle."

England blinked in surprise but decided not to ask how the other country had managed to get his hands on Russia's favorite weapon.

"You're coming with me?" he guessed, unable to hide his surprise at the knowledge.

Canada shrugged then nodded. "I was going to go alone if I didn't meet anyone but I saw you sneaking around and decided to go with you. I mean, it's better to have a partner than to go alone, right?"

England nodded, then hesitated as he remembered his promise to America.

"I- I told Alfred that I would keep you safe," he argued.

Matthew snorted.

"Look, Arthur," he snapped, his voice unexpectedly strong. "I'm not Al's helpless little brother. I can handle myself in a fight, and I don't need protecting. And, if you really wanted to keep me safe, you would let me come with you because at least then you'd be able to watch out for me, whereas if you don't I'll go on my own and you won't be able to tell if I'm safe or not."

Arthur grunted in reluctant agreement and glanced at Canada with reluctant respect.

"Why aren't you this forceful all the time?" he wondered aloud.

"Why haven't you noticed it before?" Matthew shot back, his eyes sad. "It's not exactly my fault that I tend to be a bit shy and Alfred easily overshadows me."

England nodded and tried to ignore the slight guilt that his former charge's words had awakened within him. It was true that he had often ignored Matthew before the American Revolution, and even after Alfred's departure had neglected the boy in his despair over America's loss. _I'll make it up to him_, he told himself firmly. Once everyone was safe, Arthur would work on fixing things with the boy; he owed him that.

"Let's get going, then," he said gruffly. "Or are there any other friends of yours that will be accompanying us?"

Canada shot him a look of gratitude and shook his head.

"No, I don't think there's anyone else," he assured the older country.

England nodded and motioned for Canada to follow as he turned back to the hall that led to the front door. The two countries slipped out of the shelter of the house, their eyes continually flickering around them to make sure that no one was following them. They both breathed a collective sigh of relief when they caught sight of the glowing barrier a little ways ahead of them.

"Almost there..." England found himself murmuring.

Canada nodded in agreement and opened his mouth as if to add something when a voice came out of the darkness to their left.

"W-who goes there?" the voice squeaked. "Don't hurt me... I have a white flag!"

"Italy?" England called warily, his hands tightening on his pistols again.

"Yes... Is this England? Ve~! Are you going to find Germany too?"

"Um, actually we're looking for America... Wait, what are you doing here?" England demanded.

The Italian's dark head appeared out of the darkness, his hazel eyes crinkling with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm going to look for Germany and bring him back!" the Italian declared cheerfully. "Do you want to go together? I don't like traveling alone, do you like traveling alone?"

"Well... no, not normally-."

"Then why are you alone now?"

"He's not alone," Canada snapped quietly.

Italy blinked and looked over at him, seeming surprised to notice him. Canada wondered if he had turned invisible again.

"Who are you?" he asked happily. "Are you looking for Germany?"

"I'm Canada," Matthew grumbled, trying to ignore his frustration. He needed to help Alfred... and Russia. Getting angry over not having people notice him wasn't going to help anything. "And no, I'm looking for America. But if you want, we can help you look for Germany if you help us look for America and Russia."

England glanced at Canada in surprise at the mention of Russia but made no comment as Italy nodded fervently.

"Ve~! Of course I'll help! America is nice and even though Russia scares me he has better food than Germany and England!"

"What do you mean Russia has better food than me?" England hissed.

"Oi! Fratello!"

Italy winced and turned around as his twin stalked out of the shadows towards him, his dark eyes flashing with fury.

"You dumbass! What the hell- are you trying to get yourself killed?" Romano yelled.

"Shh," England hissed. "Do you want to wake up the entire country?"

"Shut your pothole, you English bastard! Did you put my brother up to this?"

"Ve~! Please calm down Romano, it's ok! England and... Canada are going to help me find Germany! We'll go together and get them back!"

"What the h-?"

"Do you want to come, Romano?" Canada interrupted, earning himself surprised glances from both England and Romano. "You could watch over Italy, and it would help to have another pair of eyes. Besides, isn't there someone that you want to look for?"

"_Who the hell told you about-?_ Uh, yeah, sure, I'll come. But just to make sure that you don't screw up and get my fratello killed, got that?"

Canada nodded, trying to fight back a smile. He glanced back at the barrier and sighed impatiently.

"Is there anyone else we should wait for or can we just go?" England snapped, voicing Canada's thoughts.

"God, I hope not," Romano snapped. "It'll be hard enough dealing with three idiots without adding any more."

"Okay, then lets go," Canada urged, choosing to ignore Romano's last comment. "Come on, the others have waited long enough."

**Okay, translation time! Hope I didn't get anything wrong this time (I accidentally added an "n" to Gute Nacht in the last chapter hehe).**

**Fratello- brother**

**Asino- Ass**

**Lo stronzo stupido- the stupid asshole**

**Too bad Switzerland, England, and Canada had to get a little snappy in this chapter, I hope I didn't get too OC there, especially where the Italy brothers were involved, but I felt like they should honestly be a bit angry, considering everything that's going on. Also, to those of you who are concerned about Germany and the others, all I can say is that they're coming up in the next chapter, which should be up in a day or two... maybe.**

**Also, thanks to everyone who read/reviewed this story! And I don't own Hetalia... which means I don't own Ivan or Matthew or Alfred or Arthur... Oh, the horror! Sniff...**

**Oh well. Reviews are love so please spread the love! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The first thing he felt was the pain in his head.

Alfred knew that it wasn't a headache- he had had way too many hangovers and conversations with countries like Italy to know what a headache felt like. No, the pain in his head wasn't the normal throbbing pain that came when he was either suffering from a hangover or trapped in a conversation that even he knew was ridiculous. This was a different type of throbbing, one that told him he had either been hit really hard with a sledgehammer or had his skull split open by an ax.

The country groaned and reached up and ran a hand gingerly over his head, feeling for a head wound. He frowned. There didn't seem to be any deep gashes or bumps... so why was he still in pain?

"Ah, are you awake now America?"

America's eyes flew open and he immediately sat up. He immediately regretted the reaction as the pounding in his head increased and glared at the person who had caused him to move.

Ivan Braginski, commonly known as Russia, smiled innocently at him, his broad shoulders pressed gingerly against a stainless steel wall to help soothe his own pain. He watched with amusement as America slowly straightened up, his blue eyes tightening with pain at every sudden movement. The American really did look similar to his Canadian brother, although Russia himself had no trouble telling the North American brothers apart. There was something about the Canadian that was softer, more approachable than his rather obnoxious brother...

"Hey, will you stop staring at me? It's freaking me out," America snapped, interrupting Russia's reverie. The American glanced around him at the steel cube of a cell that Russia had already basically memorized, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses (which had somehow remained undamaged throughout their entire ordeal). "Where the hell are we?" American wondered aloud.

"In a prison cell," Russia offered helpfully. "I think that the creatures took us after we lost consciousness."

America's eyes widened in horror and he looked for a moment like he was going to hyperventilate.

"Whoa, wait, you mean I've been abducted? By aliens? Holy- holy shit I knew that this would happen... Aw man, why didn't I bring my survival kit with me? It could have told me how to escape... Oh my God, have they experimented on me? Do I have a tracking device in my brain? Oh God... How long have we even been in this place?"

"Not long," Russia assured him, struggling to keep up with the younger country's rant. "I think it has only been six, perhaps eight hours."

America stared at him for a moment, still recovering from his slightly hysterical outburst.

"H-how do you know that? Is there a window or something where you can watch the sun's journey across the sky?" he asked.

Russia frowned and wondered yet again how this country had ever become a superpower.

"Нет, " he answered slowly. "I looked at my watch." The older country pushed back the slightly torn sleeve of his jacket to show his watch to the American.

"Oh... wait, your watch still works?" America gasped. "It hasn't been... destroyed by alien magnetic fields?"

" Нет," Ivan repeated wearily.

"Does your phone work?" the American demanded, suddenly serious.

"I- I do not have a phone with me, so I do not-."

"Why don't you have a phone?" Alfred wondered, his eyes widening in horror at the thought of being without his cellphone. "Don't they have them in Russia?"

"Da, of course we have-," the Russian began, only to stop himself. It probably wouldn't be good to get too frustrated with the younger country yet, he needed him to get out of here. "Do you have your cellphone?" he asked instead.

America nodded and reached into the pocket of his jeans, his brow furrowing when he felt nothing. He hurriedly repeated the process with his other pockets, only to meet with similar results.

"Shit," he muttered. "Those alien bastards... must've taken it from me..."

Russia sighed and leaned back against the wall, trying to ignore the pounding in his head that had only increased through his conversation with the American. America watched him for a moment before looking around the cell again, his blue eyes immediately focusing on the blonde-haired lump in the corner of the room.

"So Germany's in here too, huh?" he muttered. "Well, I suppose that's a good thing... wouldn't want to get separated and have to rescue anybody..."

Russia glanced at him with raised eyebrows before focusing on the German.

"I checked his pulse before you woke up," he informed America. "He seemed fine, although I think that he died when the bullet hit him so it will take him longer to wake up... I do not know if any of the creatures thought to remove the bullet, so he might be in pain."

America frowned and crawled over to Germany's side. He gritted his teeth against the pain that wracked his skull with each movement. Okay, so this was worse than a hangover... next time England complained about one of those, he would be more sympathetic. Maybe.

_If I ever see him again, that is_, an annoyingly pessimistic voice piped up in the back of his head.

Alfred pushed the thought away, his eyes narrowing in determination. He would see Arthur and Mattie again, especially since he needed to warn his younger brother about going out with a certain insane Russian communist...

Germany's breathing seemed regular when America reached him, although he was still unconscious and the paleness of his skin told the American that his third companion had definitely died at some point. America frowned and reached over gingerly to push the German onto his back so that he could get a better look at the gun wound on his chest. As far as he could see, the wound had completely healed, leaving only a thick red stain on the fallen country's black muscle shirt as evidence of the shot.

"I can't tell if the bullet was removed or not," he admitted to the Russian.

Ivan nodded as if he had expected this and leaned his head back against the wall. He hadn't really expected the American to find anything, although he supposed that the younger country had felt that it was necessary for him to check for himself. Why did the young nation always insist on being involved in everything?

"America?" he called softly.

"Huh?"

"You mentioned that you would have rescued Germany if he hadn't been with us here... May I ask why?"

"Uh, because I'm the hero? And heroes rescue people, right?" Alfred stated, as if it was perfectly obvious.

Russia frowned. He had always been irritated by those 'hero' remarks that the younger nation made.

"Why?" he repeated. "Surely it isn't necessary to always be the hero. I have never been one, and I have survived."

"I-." America stopped and glared at the Russian. "What, now that we're cellmates we've got to spill our guts or something?"

Russia shrugged and flashed him another innocent grin.

"Well... it is certainly a way to pass the time," he pointed out cheerfully.

Alfred rolled his eyes and turned back to the German. Russia waited, wondering if the American would even answer him. So it was a surprise when the young superpower's voice broke the silence, his tone more subdued than it had been before.

"I-I suppose that I feel like I owe people," he admitted. "When I- after Iggy and I separated, I wanted to become big and strong, so that I could show him that I wasn't a child anymore. When I became strong, when I realized that I could protect people like Iggy and France after I helped them in World War I..." His voice trailed off for a moment as he seemed to steal himself, his eyes hardening for a moment as painful memories overwhelmed him. "I never wanted to see Ar- England like that. He was so... so fragile during the World War. I realized that I never wanted to see him- to see anyone like that. I knew I was stronger, stronger than anyone. I thought that I could use my strength to protect everyone, that I could be everyone's hero... Iggy's-." He stopped again, unable to go on.

Russia frowned.

"We don't all need protection," he told the younger nation. "England doesn't, and neither does your brother. We've all grown up, America, just like you did. And, to be perfectly honest, most of us are older than you so your protection is very unnecessary."

America glared at him for a moment before sighing in resignation.

"Still," he murmured. "I feel like I need to. And what about Mattie? He's not as old as the rest of you, he's my little brother. He's... he's still so shy and innocent, he doesn't know what's good for him."

"Oh?" Ivan raised his eyebrows skeptically. "I think your brother is the one that you have underestimated, America. If I remember correctly, he was very capable of protecting himself in World War II, da?"

"I- no, that's not the point. He's not strong, he needs-."

"If you say that Matvey is weak and needs a hero one more time I will cheerfully beat your head against a wall," Russia interrupted. "I was always irritated by your hero behavior, but now that I know the reasoning behind it I find that you are even more annoying."

Alfred glared at him.

"What would you know about protecting people?" he snapped. "You said yourself that you aren't a hero. And it's Mattie not Matvey."

"I would give my life for my sisters," Russia argued, ignoring the younger country's comment about Canada's name. "The same goes for Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. I only wanted to protect them when they were under my care, and even when they left-." He stopped as painful memories overwhelmed him and turned away for a moment. It wouldn't be good for any country to see him expressing emotion, especially not America.

The younger country snorted derisively.

"Oh yeah, you only wanted to protect them," he muttered. "Is that why you were always beating them up? Is that why they're all terrified of you?"

"I never touched Katyusha or Natalia," Ivan snapped. "But I- I know that I hurt the others. I didn't mean to but... I knew. And Natalia isn't afraid of me..."

America raised his eyebrows skeptically but made no comment. He glanced back at Germany, his gaze zeroing in on a small sliver of metal that poked out of the nation's pocket.

"Hey," he hissed. "Hey wait a second."

"What?" Russia wondered, abruptly alert.

"Germany- he's got a phone in his pocket! Those stupid aliens didn't take it from him!"

"Then get it," the older country hissed, his violet eyes combing the cell again to make sure that no one was listening. "And keep quiet, we don't want the creatures to know about this... Who's number does he have in his contacts?"

"Uh..." Alfred frowned in concentration as he scrolled through the German's contacts. "He has Italy at the top and then Japan... Dude, is that it? Doesn't he have any friends?"

"Doesn't matter," the Russian interrupted him. "Call one of them, preferably Japan. I do not think that I can deal with Italy's... what do you call it?"

"You mean that fact that he sounds like he's on a sugar high every hour of the day?" Alfred quipped. "Yeah, I know what you mean- oops."

"What do you mean by 'oops'?" Ivan snapped.

"Uh... I kind of... I might have dialed Italy by mistake?" America smiled sheepishly, trying to ignore the murderous glance that was now being sent his way by the Russian.

"Ve~, are we lost?"

"Shut the hell up, Feliciano!"

"Ve~, Lovino is calling me Feliciano more now! I like it!"

"Do you want me to bash your head in?"

"Will the two of you please shut up?" England snapped, his green eyes narrowing as he glanced around them at the dark trees.

The Italian twins paused for a moment to glance over at him before turning back to each other.

"Lovi, I think we made Iggy angry!"

"Like I care," Romano snapped. "That dumbass makes me angry all the time."

"Ve~, that's not nice, Lovi!"

"_Don't call me Lovi, dammit!_"

"But big brother Spain calls you-."

"Don't mention that bastard!" Romano growled.

"Hey," Canada interrupted, his voice actually rising above a whisper in his annoyance. "Will you two shut up? Or do you want the aliens to find us?"

"I don't have to listen to you, whatever-your-name-is," Romano snarled. "And who cares if they find us? Don't we need to find them to find the others?"

"My name is Canada," Matthew snapped. "And yes, we need to find them but I would prefer not to get into a fight with the creatures unless we actually have to."

"Shows how brave you are," Romano sneered.

England groaned and resisted the urge to bang his head into a tree. Why had he even agreed to let these idiots come along? Matthew hadn't been that bad but the Italian twins? He would be lucky to even make it two more yards without being attacked.

As if confirming his prediction, an overly cheerful voice began to sing in Italian, shattering the last vestiges of silence within the forest. The four countries jumped and glanced around in alarm as the singing continued, their gazes going simultaneously to the younger Italian as he drew a phone out of his pocket.

"Ve~?" Italy answered, his brow furrowing in confusion. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock. "America? What are you doing on my phone?" He paused for a moment, his hazel eyes going wider with something like alarm. "Germany? You used his phone? Where-? He's what?"

"Give me that," England snapped. He snatched the phone out of the shocked Italian's hands and hurriedly put it up against his ear. "Hello?"

There was a pause on the other side of the line. Then:

"Arthur?"

England felt the breath rush out of him at the sound of his name spoken by his former colony, his mind automatically going to another time when things had been less complicated. He closed his eyes against the memories and forced himself to respond.

"Al- America," he sighed, not even bothering to hide his relief. "How did you-?"

"Look, Iggy, there isn't much time," America interrupted, his tone suddenly urgent. "The aliens took my phone and Russia doesn't have his for some really odd reason so we had to borrow Germany's. I don't know how long it'll be until the aliens realize that we still have this... Wait, why are you with Italy?"

"We're looking for you," England replied. "And Germany and Russia," he added seeing the looks on Canada and Italy's faces. "Where are you?"

"No idea... wait, you guys can't come looking for us. It's too dangerous-."

"Don't even start with that 'hero' nonsense, Alfred," England snapped. "I'm- we're going to get you out of there."

"No, Arthur, please, you can't. We were overwhelmed, you and Italy alone won't stand a chance."

"It's not just me and Italy, Alfred. Romano and Canada-."

"What do you mean you brought Mattie into this?" the American yelped, suddenly furious. "I told you to keep him safe!"

"Matvey is with them?" a voice that was clearly Russia's called from the background.

"Shut up, Russia!"

"Germany!" Italy suddenly yelled, his hazel eyes wild as he glanced around in alarm.

The other countries froze and stared at the Italian as he whirled around, his frantic gaze focusing on a seemingly deserted copse of trees.

"Germany!" he yelled again as he made to dart into the trees.

"What the hell- Feli!" Romano yelled, his arms wrapping tightly around the Italian's shoulders. "What are you doing, bastardo?"

"Arthur?" America called, his voice crackling slightly over the phone. "Arthur, what's going on?"

"I don't-," England began, only to be cut off by Romano's own cry.

"Spagna?" he yelled, his dark eyes taking on their own wild quality. "Spagna! Spagna, where are you?" The older Italian twin made to dart into the trees that his brother was still straining to reach, Italy still clutched tightly in his arms.

Canada cried out in warning and reached out to pull the Italians away from the trees, his violet eyes glancing towards England in alarm.

"What's going on?" he gasped.

"I don't- Alfred? Alfred do you know about this?"

"I'm not sure- are you hearing any voices?" the American demanded.

"You mean besides the screaming Italians? No, I'm not-," England began, only to be cut off again by another voice.

"England?" America's voice drifted towards him through the trees. "England, where are you? Please, I need your help."

"America?" England gasped, momentarily forgetting the phone in his hand.

Canada glanced at him in surprise, his gaze suddenly unfocused as he listened to something else.

"Al?" the Canadian gasped. "Al, where- Russia?" Canada froze, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Arthur?" America called, his voice almost frantic. "Arthur, please, you need to listen to me. The voices aren't real, they're only a trick used by the aliens. Trust me, we know, they used it on us."

England frowned, trying to focus on the voice coming from the phone in his hand instead of the pleading one coming from the trees.

"But- I can hear you, Alfred," he whispered. "You- you sound so scared-."

"Iggy, come on," the American snapped. "Do I sound scared? You need to keep a good grip on the others, make sure that they don't run away."

"How on earth can I hold back Canada and the Italians?"

"Here, put Mattie on the phone."

England nodded and pressed the device against the Canadian's ear. The country paused and glanced around him in confusion, still trying to find the source of Russia and America's voices.

"Mattie, hey, can you hear me?"

"Al?" Canada gasped, still confused. "Al, where are you? I can hear you calling me- are you hurt?"

"No, Mattie, I'm fine. It's only a trick. The aliens use people you care about to lure you into their trap or something like that."

"Really?" Matthew frowned, trying to ignore Russia's voice as it drifted towards him through the trees. "Then why do I hear you and Russia?"

"You hear-? Huh, that's... kind of disturbing actually. Remind me to talk to you about that later, okay? But trust me, he's fine too. He's right here, actually, not that I'm going to let you talk to him."

"Why-?" Canada began. He stopped and shook his head, deciding not to question his brother at the moment. "Fine. So what do I do?"

"Hold back the Italians with Iggy and make sure that they don't follow the voices. Oh, and the aliens should be coming soon, so get ready for a fight-."

"Wait, Al, I hear something, and it's not the voices," Canada interrupted.

England glanced over at him, and rushed to the Canadian's side, his hands tightening on Romano's arms as the Italian continued to struggle.

"I hear it too," he murmured. "Some type of rustling... I think there's something following us."

"Al, did you hear that?" Canada asked.

"Yeah. Shit, Mattie, you guys have got to get out of there, wherever you are. Go back to Switzy's house, okay?"

"Al, I don't think we'll make it that far," Canada told him seriously. "What's the best way to fight the aliens?"

"There isn't. If you use any weapons they mimic you, and they recover immediately if you kick their ass the old fashioned way."

Matthew frowned and glanced around him again, his eyes narrowing when he heard the rustling get closer.

"So what do we do? Run?" he demanded.

"Yeah, that's all you can- Oh shit, the battery's dying... Dammit, Germany, why can't he actually charge his phone? Mattie, please, get out of there. Get yourself and Iggy back to-."

America's voice abruptly cut off as the phone died, leaving Canada and the others alone as the rustling drew closer.

**Yay, America and Russia have a heart-to-heart! I honestly think that America really thinks that way, to tell the truth. And is it really bad that I have way too much fun writing what the Italian brothers are saying? Anyways, another cliffy! I suppose I'm being kind of cruel to you guys but... eh, what are you going to do?**

**Remember, reviews are love! Spread the love!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Canada stiffened and drew closer to England and the still-struggling Italians, his violet eyes sweeping across the trees, searching for the place where the aliens would appear.

"England, can you please calm the twins down?" he muttered. "I think we'll need them if we get into a fight."

England frowned skeptically but nodded. He yanked Romano and his brother away from the trees and whirled them around to face him, his hands clenched tightly around their shoulders.

"Listen to me," he hissed. "Those voices that you hear aren't real. They are a trick used by the aliens. Germany and Spain aren't actually here, got it?"

"Where are they?" Italy demanded, his hazel eyes still flickering back to the trees.

"Germany is with America and Russia... remember, America told you this when you answered your phone? And, I'm sorry, but I don't know where Spain is."

"Then he could be out there," Romano insisted frantically. "He could be hurt and he's calling for me and I need to go-."

"Romano," England snapped. "Stop. He's not out there, lad. If he hasn't made it to Switzerland's house already, then the aliens have him. Now, you need to get a grip because we need your help to fight the aliens."

"Ve~ I thought you said that you wanted to avoid a fight?" Italy wondered, failing to hide the fear he felt in the face of battle.

"Yes, well, we can't avoid a fight now," England told him. "Now, either you help us fight the creatures who took Germany and the others, or you stay out of our way."

Italy's face paled at the mention of Germany and he glanced down at his empty hand, as if searching for a white flag. England sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Obviously, the younger Italian wasn't going to be much help.

"Romano, watch over your brother," he told the older Italian wearily.

Matthew shook his head in exasperation at the Italians and pulled his rifle out of its case. He shouldered the weapon and glanced at his surroundings again, searching for his first target. He yelled a warning as a dark creature with glowing red eyes stumbled out of the trees before firing at the being's skull.

The creature screeched in pain and fell to its knees for a moment, its hands suddenly gripping a silver replica of the Canadian's rifle. The alien glanced up at the country and raised its new weapon, aiming for Canada's skull...

Canada yelped and ducked out of the way as the gun fired, the blood rushing from his cheeks when he heard the bullet whistle past his ear. "Shit," he whispered. "Al was right... England, don't use guns on them!"

"What the hell am I supposed to fight the damn wankers with?" the older country demanded, his pistols already clasped in his hands as he faced his own attackers.

"I don't know," Matthew admitted as he dodged another shot. He glanced over at the two Italians that were huddling on the ground a few feet from him and darted away from them, hoping to draw the alien's fire. The creature followed his movements with glowing red eyes, the rifle still aimed at the Canadian.

Matthew cried out as one of the bullets hit the flesh of his leg and collapsed to the ground.

"Fils de pute," he gasped.

"Matthew!" England yelled. He snarled and kicked away the nearest alien before rushing to the Canadian's side, his green eyes concerned. "Get up, lad. You need to get up, now."

Canada nodded and hauled himself to his feet with a grimace. He glanced at the alien's rifled again, his eyes narrowed.

"I need to get that weapon," he said slowly.

"What?" England demanded, not sure if he had heard correctly.

"The rifle, I need to get it," Canada hissed. He forced himself to take a step forward, only to duck as another shot rang out. "England, can you distract him? Shoot at him, it should give me an opening."

"You told me not to shoot them," the older country muttered, but he raised his pistols nonetheless and fired twice into the alien's skull.

Canada darted forward as the creature fell, his hands deftly pulling the silver rifle out of the alien's grip. He pulled back as the alien rose again, twin silver pistols now clutched in its skeletal hands. The creature glanced at him and raised the pistols, preparing to take aim...

"Pas cette fois," Matthew growled as he pulled his own trigger.

The alien screeched again as the bullet tore through its chest and collapsed, unmoving, onto the ground. Canada edged forward warily and nudged the prone body, the silver rifle still aimed at the alien's chest. When the creature didn't rise again, he sighed with relief and tossed the twin silver pistols to England.

"Use these," he called. "It'll actually kill the bastards."

England nodded and fired at several other aliens that had begun to pour from the trees, his lips twisting into a sneer as the creatures fell limply to the ground.

"Take that, you bastards!" he crowed, his green eyes glowing with an excitement that he hadn't felt since his days as a pirate.

Canada felt himself smile as he fired on another alien. He stiffened as a creature flew out of the trees only feet away, trying to catch him by surprise. The Canadian lashed out with the but of his rifle, catching the creature in the chest. He swung the rifle again and bashed it against the alien's forehead, smirking with satisfaction when the creature fell to the ground.

"That's for my brother," he snarled. He raised his rifle as the fallen alien moved to rise and fired into its chest. "And that's for Russia," he whispered quietly.

Romano shuddered at the sounds of gunfire and backed away, careful to keep his brother behind him. He cursed himself silently for not fighting with England and... whatever that other country's name was, but it wasn't as if he would be any help. He didn't even have a weapon, and hand-to-hand combat wasn't exactly his forte...

_I'm not a coward_, he told himself furiously. _I'm not, I just don't have a weapon to fight with... Besides, I can't leave Feliciano defenseless, I need to protect him.._

He sighed and flinched again as another alien fell dead, its skull nearly shattered by one of England's bullets. Damn, he hated fighting...

Italy whimpered and tugged at Romano's sleeve, tearing his brother's attention away from the fighting.

"What the hell is it, Fel-" Romano's voice trailed off as he locked eyes with a scarlet-eyed alien. He yelped in alarm and backed away, his hand tangling in Italy's shirt as he dragged the country back with him. The creature stared at them impassively and took a step forward, its outstretched hand nearly beckoning the Italians. Romano pulled his brother away again, only to freeze as his back collided with a hard body. He glanced up, his dark eyes widening in alarm when he saw the red eyes of a second alien.

"Chigi!" he screeched, trying to move away from the creature.

A black hand tightened around Romano's throat and pulled the Italian back. Romano choked against the tight grip and hastily pushed his younger brother away from him as the alien pulled him closer...

"Hey, you unawesome bastard! Get your hands off of that Italian shrimp!"

Romano yelped as the alien released him. He fell face-first into the ground with a grunt and rolled over to glare up at the bastard who had rescued him.

A red-eyed albino grinned down at him, his expression somehow triumphant beneath the layers of blood and dirt that covered him like a second skin.

"Don't worry," Prussia smirked. "The awesome me accepts your thanks."

"I'm not going to thank you, bastardo!" Romano growled. "What the hell- where did you come from?"

"I was hanging out at West's house, waiting for him to return to my awesomeness, and I heard that there were some aliens out here so I came to kick some major ass!" the albino announced smugly. "Good thing, too, otherwise you would've been a goner!" Prussia paused and glanced over Romano's shoulder, his red eyes narrowing with confusion. "Hey, isn't that bruder's little boy-toy? What's he doing?"

Romano whirled around in the direction of his twin, his eyes widening in horror when he saw the younger Italian facing another alien, his shaking hands clasped around a white flag.

"Shit..." Romano hissed. "Feliciano!" he yelled. "You can't use a flag on these bastards, they won't surrender!"

"I-I know," Italy muttered. "I-I'm going to fight him."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Prussia called out. He roughly pushed Romano aside and ran towards the younger Italian, his hand already clasped around a silver handgun.

A shot rang out before Prussia could reach Italy. The alien fell limply at the Italian's feet, its chest pierced by one of Canada's bullets. The Canadian stared at Prussia for a moment before turning to his next opponent.

"Watch out for the Italians, Gilbert!" he yelled.

"Sorry, birdie, but we kinda need to go," Prussia called back. He yanked Feliciano to his feet and shoved him towards his brother before darting to the Canadian's side. He tossed the younger country over his shoulder without a word and ran back to the Italians.

"Move it!" he yelled, pointedly ignoring the struggles of the Canadian on his shoulder. "Run through those trees over there and don't stop till you've gone over the river."

"England!" Canada yelled, his fists still pounding against Prussia's shoulders.

England glanced up from his latest kill, his eyes widening beneath his thick eyebrows when he saw Matthew being spirited away by the albino.

"What-?" he began, only to be cut off as a tall man with thick blond hair grabbed him from behind and dragged him after the fleeing countries.

"S'rry 'Ngl'nd," he muttered, his deep blue eyes flickering back towards the aliens that had just begun to notice the absence of their prey.

"Bloody hell- Sweden? Put me down you git! What th-." England's voice broke off abruptly as the country met his gaze, his eyes unreadable behind his glasses. "Uh, never mind," England muttered. "Keep going."

Sweden shrugged and hurried to catch up with Prussia, his jaw clenching when he heard the frustrated screeches of the creatures behind them.

"Th'r c'mng," he growled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Prussia snapped. "Shut up, okay? We're almost to the river... Antonio said that he'd cover us once we reached it..."

"Antonio?" Romano repeated. The older Italian stumbled to a halt and glanced back at Prussia, who hastily pushed him forward again.

"Yeah, I found him while I was searching for West. Keep moving, dummkopf! Or do you want to get taken by the aliens?"

Romano clenched his teeth and hurried to catch up to his twin, occasionally casting a scorching glare back at the albino.

"If that bastard Spain is hurt..." he began.

"Shut up and run!" Prussia snapped. He ran past the Italians to a thick river that suddenly cut through the thick trees like a ribbon. He paused for a moment to remove the furious Canadian from his shoulders before shoving Matthew forward into the water. The albino jumped in after the younger country and motioned for Sweden and the others to follow.

Romano swore as his skin came into contact with the cold water, his arms wrapping unconsciously around his younger brother. Prussia impatiently pushed the two of them under, ignoring England's furious sputtering as Sweden dragged him under. The albino motioned silently for them to stay under and be silent before pushing his head out of the water. He glanced around him for a moment and sighed with relief.

The albino motioned for the others to come to the surface and made his way to the opposite bank of the river. He waited for the others to climb out after him before pushing forward into the trees, not looking back to see if any of the countries were following.

"Come on," he hissed. "Before those alien bastarde get smart and follow us."

Romano glared at him and tightened his grip on his younger brother's arm.

"Let's go, fratello," he whispered.

Italy looked up at him, his hazel eyes almost filling with tears.

"Germany..." he murmured.

"We'll find him," Canada's quiet voice assured them from behind. "But for now, we need to watch out for ourselves."

Italy sighed and nodded reluctantly before allowing his brother to pull him after Prussia.

**Yep, don't own Hetalia... ah well, I can live without owning Russia, Canada, America, and England... (Yep, I am totally in denial)**

**Yay! Prussia, Sweden, and Spain have been brought in! Why, you may ask? Um... because I wanted to bring 'em in, of course! Oh yeah, since I've never written Sweden before, I don't know if I'm doing him right or not so please tell me if I did anything wrong!**

**Translations: (If any of them are wrong, I'm sorry!)**

**Fils de pute- Son of a bitch**

**Pas cetter fois- Not this time**

**Dummkopf- Idiot**

**Bastarde- Bastards**

**Remember, reviews are love! Please spread the love, I feel like I haven't been getting a lot recently... Please review and tell me what you think so far! Negative and positive reviews are all welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Matvey heard my voice?" Russia murmured, his voice causing the flustered American to stop pacing for the first time since Germany's cellphone had shut off.

"Uh..." America hesitated for a moment, wondering if he actually wanted to tell the Russian the truth. He sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, don't know why though..."

Russia's face brightened.

"So Matvey must care about me too, da?" he asked eagerly.

"Look, I don't know," the American snapped, already regretting his decision. No way in hell was he letting the commie bastard get anywhere near his little brother. "Geez, we don't even know why we hear the voices..."

"I thought you said that we hear the voices of the people we care about," Ivan pointed out, enjoying the younger country's discomfort. "That is why you heard England, da?"  
>Alfred blushed and glared at the Russian.<p>

"I- shut up!" he growled. "I don't need to talk to you about that."

"So, why don't you tell him how you feel?" Russia continued, ignoring the American's words. "Surely it would be simpler to tell him, would it not?"

"No way, I would never do that to him," Alfred muttered, forgetting for the moment that he had sworn not to talk to the Russian about his relationship with England. "Ar- England hasn't loved me since before the Revolution, and even then he only thought of me as a kid... It would only hurt him if I told him how I felt."

"Ты такой идиот, " Ivan said cheerfully. "If he doesn't love you, then why did he hear your voice, Америка?"

"What are you-? Okay, can we stop talking about this?" Alfred grumbled. "Why the hell do you care about my social life, commie? Better yet, why do you care about my brother? Since when have you even noticed him?"

Russia frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

"I'm not sure," he admitted.

"I mean, you were sitting on him a few days ago, so it's not like you've been in love with him for ages, right?" America insisted.

"Da..." The Russian admitted, his brow still furrowed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just know that lately I haven't been forgetting him like before... Is it the stress that's getting to me?"

"How the hell should I know?" The American snapped. "I'm not a freaking expert on relationships! God, why does Mattie have to keep attracting the weird ones? It's bad enough that Prussian bastard keeps stalking him..."

"Prussia?" Russia interrupted, his violet eyes abruptly alert. "Prussia is in love with my Matvey as well?"

"I'm not saying he's in love with him, I'm just saying he keeps showing up at Mattie's house at all hours. And what do you mean 'my Matvey'? He's not your anything!"

"_Wirst du den Mund halten_?" a deep voice snapped, interrupting the two nations. "_Mein Gott_... Even Italy isn't this annoying!"

The two nations whirled around, their eyes focusing on the German as he struggled painfully to his feet.

"Where are we?" Germany demanded, his blue eyes fierce. "And where is Italy?"

Japan stopped a few feet away from the barrier, his brown eyes staring sightlessly through the glowing wall. He flinched when France's voice called out England and Canada's names a few feet away and unconsciously slipped deeper into the shadows of a nearby tree. He supposed he was also looking for the missing countries, after all he owed it to Germany to find the clueless Italian that had become their mutual friend over the years, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to move. Too much had happened in the past few days, and this latest development had nearly overwhelmed the quiet nation. Of course, it couldn't be enough for the heavens to take away most of his siblings. No, that hadn't been enough for the gods. They had had to take away his closest friends, had left him lying awake at night worrying about the fate of another quiet country who hadn't been mentioned by the others, whose absence had barely been noticed by anyone other than the Japanese man.

Kiku sighed and leaned back against the tree as weariness overwhelmed him. It was too much... he couldn't take this anymore. He wondered dimly how long it would be before he actually snapped from the stress. Would he break down into hysterics or would he simply go on a murderous rampage until Switzerland shot him down? Kiku was almost hoping for the latter- even if he couldn't truly die, it would be worth the pain to get a few blissful hours of oblivion before he regenerated...

"Meow."

Kiku blinked and glanced down in the direction of the cry that had broken through his dark thoughts. A calico cat stared back at him, its green eyes strangely alert as it pawed at the nation's pant leg. Japan's eyes narrowed and he knelt down until he was face-to-face with the cat. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out to pet the animal.

"Where did you come from,ちょっと猫?" he murmured.

The cat mewed quietly and arched its back, causing something to slip off of its slender shoulders. Japan frowned and picked up the object, his eyes widening when he saw what it was. He brushed his shaking fingers along the edge of the silky red-brown cat ears, his mind immediately going back to when he had last seen it.

_"Am I... Am I a cat now?" Green eyes met brown tentatively beneath mussed dark hair as the two nations watched each other._

_ Kiku felt his cheeks burn and ducked his head in a nod, his eyes locked on his companion to see the other country's reaction._

_ The Greek smiled and reached up to brush his hands against the ears._

_ "Cool," he murmured._

"Heracles..." Kiku whispered, his voice almost cracking as he allowed his lover's name to slip from his lips. What did this mean? Had the Grecian country been captured after all or was this merely a sign that Heracles was safe?

The Japanese man turned back to the cat, his brown eyes narrowing as he stroked the animal once again.

"Where did you come from?" he whispered.

The feline mewed and darted out from under the tree towards the barrier. It paused a few inches from the barrier and glanced over its shoulder at Kiku, its emerald eyes expectant.

"You want me to follow you?" The nation wondered. He hesitated for a moment before taking a step towards the cat.

"Japan!"

Kiku jumped and turned around, his gaze zeroing in on Switzerland as the blonde country detached himself from the trees.

"What are you doing?" The Swiss demanded angirly.

Japan motioned towards the cat that was still waiting patiently beside the barrier.

"The cat was sent by Greece," he murmured. "I'm going to find him."

"We can't leave here, it's not safe," Switzerland snapped.

"Vash," Kiku sighed. "We can't stay here forever. England, Canada, and the Italians realized that, and it's about time that the rest of us stepped up. We can't just leave our fellow countries to the mercy of aliens, especially those that we love."

Vash's cheeks reddened slightly and he looked away, his eyes narrowing.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he growled. "There is no one besides Liechtenstein that I-."

"Actually, I was talking about myself," Japan interrupted, slightly amused. "But I suppose I should have remembered your feelings for Roderich..."

"Shut up," Switzerland growled. He sighed and ran a hand through his hand. "I want to go after the others as much as you do," he admitted. "But... I can't let Lila get involved. She's not a fighter."

"Neither are the Italians," Japan pointed out quietly.

Vash glared at him and sighed.

"Fine," he muttered resignedly. "Where is that cat going to lead us?"

"No idea," Kiku admitted. "But it's our only way of finding the others."

Vash nodded and looked back towards his house.

"We need to tell the others," he murmured. "China and France will want to come with us."

"And your sister?" Japan prompted.

Vash flinched and turned away.

"I- I need to keep her safe," he murmured. "She will stay here, whether she wants to or not."

"Where is that bastard Spain?" Romano growled.

Prussia rolled his eyes and continued to push ahead through the trees. Damn, he had almost forgotten how annoying the Italian could be.

"He'll catch up," he snapped. "We need to keep moving."

"Ve~ where are we going?" the younger Italian wondered. "We're supposed to be looking for Germany!"

"West can take care of himself," Prussia growled. "We need to worry about ourselves for the moment."

"Pr'ss," Sweden muttered. "I h'r s'mth'n."

"What?" Gilbert glanced around them, his hand tightening on his silver pistol. "Where?"

"Th'r," the Swede pointed silently at a copse of trees ahead of them just as a dark-haired Spaniard stumbled into their path, his hands clutching a bloodied silver battle ax as if his life depended on it.

Spain smiled tiredly at the other countries, his tanned skin coated in dirt and dried blood.

"_Hola_," he whispered hoarsely. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah-" Prussia began, only to be interrupted by a furious cry from the eldest Italian.

"Spagna!" Romano yelled. "_Bastardo!_" The angry Italian launched himself at the Spaniard, his arms wrapping around the other country's waist in a death grip.

Spain staggered and glanced down at Romano in surprise, his green eyes suddenly soft.

"Ah, _mi tomatito_, Lovi!" he murmured. "Were you worried about me? It's okay, I'm fine!"

"Shut up," Romano growled. "I wasn't worried about you, bastard. And I don't believe you, you never tell anyone when you're hurt."

"He's right," Prussia interrupted. "You look like hell, Antonio. What happened?"

Spain grimaced delicately and glanced down at his soiled clothing in embarrassment.

"The aliens found me while they were looking for you," he admitted. "I held them off for as long as I could to give you time so that you could get away."

"Bastard," Romano growled. "What the hell were you thinking? Why didn't you tell anyone you were okay? Fratello and France were worried sick about you..."

"Ve~ Romano was worried too!" Italy interrupted. "He's just too shy to say it."

"Shut up, Feliciano!"

Antonio beamed and pulled Lovino closer to him, ignoring the pain that lanced through his wounded side at the movement.

"_Esta bien_, Lovi!" he sighed. "I'm so sorry that I made you worry!"

"Bastard..." Romano muttered, his cheeks red with embarrassment. He glanced up at the Spaniard, his eyes narrowing when he saw the country wince. "You are hurt, aren't you? Bastard Spagna... Just tell someone, will you?"

"We should keep moving," Prussia sighed. "Romano, since you obviously won't be able to keep your hands off of Antonio, you help him. The rest of you, keep moving."

"I would like to know exactly where we are headed," England snapped irritably from behind Canada. "I know we need to stay safe, but Germany and America are still being held captive."

"So is Russia," Canada added.

"Right..." The British man glanced at the Canadian and shook his head before continuing. "I won't leave them with those bloody aliens much longer, Prussia. I'll go alone if I have to, but I'm getting America and the others out of there."

"Don't you think we all want to do the same?" Gilbert snapped, his red eyes flashing dangerously. "Do you think that you're the only one with a loved one missing? My little brother is being held captive with your boyfriend, and Sweden doesn't even know if Finland is still alive."

"_Si_, and Gilbert is worried about Elizaveta, too," Antonio added, his voice cracking slightly with pain as Lovino helped him to his feet. "_Gracias_, Lovi."

"Elizaveta?" Canada repeated. "Hungary?"

The albino blushed and glared at Spain, who smiled at him innocently.

"_Ja_, he muttered. "I'm looking for Liz, too."

The Canadian nodded slowly, remembering the times that he had caught Prussia watching Hungary argue with her ex-husband during the world meetings.

"Why didn't you ever tell her that you loved her?" he wondered aloud.

Prussia's blush deepened. He looked down at his feet, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Couldn't..." he grumbled. He cleared his throat and pushed forward again, his expression hardening. "Come on," he growled. "We're heading in the direction of the aliens' mother ship. Sweden here said that it came back here once the bastards realized that they had missed a few countries."

"What do they want with us?" England hissed.

"Your power."

The countries jumped as a new voice joined in the conversation and turned around to face the newcomer. There was dead silence for a long moment as they stared at the man that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. Then:

"Opa?" Prussia gasped.

Germania looked at his grandson, his blue eyes unreadable.

"Hallo, Preußen," he greeted flatly. "Rome told me that you would need my help."

**Yeah... don't own the awesome Prussia, Spain, Germania... Man, I don't own any of them...**

**Okay, so I don't know if I'll be able to get another chapter in before I leave (I'm going to visit Arthur in a few days, hahaha!), but I'll see what I can do. And, I got my driver's license yesterday! Yes! Help me celebrate, show your love for Hetalia and review! Hahaha! (Yes, I just had an America moment). And, of course, let me know if I'm doing anything wrong. Also, as you may have noticed, I'm adding pairings other than RussCan and USUK. These are all of my favorite pairings, so sorry if I make anyone angry, it's just what I prefer.**

**Thanks to all of the people who read/reviewed this story! You all rock!**

**Translations:**

Ты такой идиот- You are such an idiot

_Wirst du den Mund halten_?- Will you shut up?

ちょっと猫- Little cat

_Esta bien_- It's okay

_Gracias_- Thank you

Hallo Preußen- Hello Prussia


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Okay," Canada said slowly, trying to make sense of the whole situation. "So, you're saying that the aliens learned about us when they were observing earth and want to use the nations as a power source for their weapons?"

Germania nodded, his hands still hovering over the fire that he was trying to build. The countries had decided to stop for the night after the sun set and Romano declared that Spain wouldn't be able to make it much farther. Though Germania still refused to tell the younger countries how he had found them, he had spent most of the day explaining what he knew about the aliens to the nations.

"Ve~ Why is Grandpa Rome working with the aliens?" Italy wondered, his eyes anxious. Out of all of Germania's information, the knowledge that Rome was working with the aliens disturbed him the most.

Germania glanced towards the place where the Italian siblings sat between Canada and Spain, his blue eyes nearly expressionless.

"You two look a lot like Rome," he said finally.

"You mean Feliciano does," Romano interrupted. "I don't look like Grandfather. I don't act like him either." The elder Italian fell silent, his expression brooding. It had always bothered Lovino that he didn't look like the man who had raised him, that he was considered second best while Feliciano was the golden child. He loved his brother, but sometimes he couldn't help but be jealous of his northern half.

"Nein," Germania argued. "You both look like him. And Rome was a lot like you when he was younger, Romano. You are both the heirs of Rome."

Romano blushed and glared at the ancient country.

"Enough of the crap," he snapped. "What about Rome?"

Germania smirked and settled back into a sitting position by the now blazing fire.

"They found Rome and I first," he murmured. "Since we had no country, they couldn't used us and they tried to get rid of us. It failed, and since we knew too much they couldn't just let us go. Rome agreed to work with them when he saw that they were getting other countries so that he could help them and make sure that the Italies weren't hurt. He told me to escape when he saw that Germany had been taken as well. He knew that Feliciano would go looking for Ludwig and wanted me to help."

"So Grandpa Rome isn't actually working with those bastards?" Romano clarified.

"Ve~! I knew it!" Italy cheered, earning himself a glare from his brother and Prussia.

"So, how are you supposed to help us?" Prussia demanded. "I mean, assuming that the awesome me needs help."

Germania frowned at his grandson in disapproval.

"I can lead you to the ship that the others are being held in," he said slowly. "But I do not think that your small band would be able to overpower the aliens."

"Our numbers don't matter," Canada interrupted, his quiet voice firm. "We'll go."

"I agr'," Sweden added, his sapphire eyes flashing behind his glasses. "M' w'f n'ds m'."

"And I'm not going to let West down," Prussia growled. "Neither is Feliciano."

Italy nodded, his expression unusually serious. After a few moments, Romano nodded as well, his hand curling unconsciously around Spain's.

Germania sighed and ran his hand through his hair in a gesture that was so similar to Germany that it made Italy wince.

"Fine," he sighed. "But... we must wait. Your men are tired, even wounded. You would lose if you went against the creatures now."

Prussia sighed in frustration but nodded.

"Germany, dude, you need to calm down."

"Shut up," the German snapped, his blue eyes fierce. He growled some choice swear words in his native tongue as he paced around the cell, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "Did you speak to F- Italy?"

"_Yes_, for the hundredth time!" America groaned, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. He needed to be patient with the other country.. after all, he had been the same way a few hours ago. Of course, his situation was totally different because Mattie was only his brother and Arthur was... complicated, while Italy and Germany were pretty much lovers already. "He answered his cellphone and asked about you and freaked out when I told him that you were unconscious, then Ar- England took the phone, and the last I heard he was yelling your name when the aliens decided to screw with him."

Germany's already white skin paled even further and he glared at the American.

"Why did you tell him?" he snarled. "Feli gets worried easily, and he already has enough to deal with."

"Sorry, but I kind of had to explain why I was using your cellphone- by the way, you really need to charge that thing, you know? We could have helped Iggy and the others more."

"Halt die Klappe," Germany snapped. "How would you have helped them? You're nothing more than a clueless dummkopf who became a country through dumb luck!"

"Yeah? Then how come I kicked your ass in both world wars dumbass?" America snapped.

"Хватит об этом!" Russia interrupted, his dark aura rising around him like a coat of deep purple. "Now is not the time for us to argue, da? We need to figure out how we will help the others."

"I agree with Russia," Alfred added. He paused for a moment and winced at the words that had come out of his mouth. "Damn, I never thought that I would be saying that..."

Ivan smirked and turned to the still fuming German.

"We are all worried about our loved ones, da?" he murmured.

Ludwig sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Ja... you're right," he sighed. "Es tut mir leid, America."

"It's okay, dude," the American assured him. "Seriously, I get it. My little bro and Ar- England are out there."

Germany raised his eyebrows but made no comment at the American's inclusion of England in his loved ones. Everyone knew about the American's love for his former brother... everyone except for England himself, of course.

"Alright then. How are we going to get out of here?" the German demanded, his mind already focused on the task at hand. "Have you two gone through the cell? Where are it's weak points?"

"Da, I went through the cell before either of you were conscious," Russia told him. "I found the door, but it is sealed by something that I cannot break, and there are no windows or other weak points that I can find."

"What was the door sealed by? I bet I can break it," America interjected. "I'm the hero, after all!"

Russia smirked in amusement at the American and turned back to Germany.

"It is some electronic lock, but I have never seen anything like it before so I do not know how to unlock it."

Ludwig frowned and walked towards the door that Russia had indicated. He knelt by the entryway and ran his hands over the edges, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"I cannot figure it out either," he murmured. "How does this o-?"

The German nation yelped and backed away from the door as it slid open to reveal a tall, handsome Italian dressed in slightly dirty Roman armor. The Italian smiled down at Germany, his hazel eyes showing a strange mix of sadness and amusement.

"Buongiorno, piccola Germania!" he greeted cheerfully. "And.. you other countries. America and Russia, si?"

"Rome?" Germany gasped, a frown creasing his pale forehead. Hadn't he seen the ancient empire before he lost consciousness? Did that mean that Italy's grandfather was working with the creatures? "What are you doing here?"

"Rome?" America interrupted. "Like, Italy and Romano's Grandpa Rome? Wait, dude, aren't you the one that sang creepy songs to scare us off during World War II? Not that I was scared..."

Rome snickered and winked at the younger country.

"Ah, it is nice to be recognized," he chuckled. "Does that mean that you enjoyed my singing, young nation? I am flattered.. although, I will admit that you did make me angry when you tried to fight with la mia piccola Italia."

America blushed and smiled sheepishly at the ancient nation.

"Yeah, sorry about that dude," he muttered.

Rome laughed and patted Alfred on the head.

"Va bene, America," he said happily. "Anyways.. how are you three holding up?"

"Fairly well considering that I was killed several hours ago," Germany growled.

"Actually, it's been about a day or two..." Rome murmured, earning himself a glare from the German.

"Why are you with these creatures?" Ludwig demanded. "Don't you know that they are going after Italy and Romano? Shouldn't you be protecting them instead of working with the beings that wish to harm them?"

Rome stared at Germany silently, his expression suddenly angry.

"Do not patronize me, young one," the empire growled. "I would never harm my grandsons, and you know that. Besides, you are the one who promised me that you would protect my Italy, and at the moment you are not fulfilling your promise."

Germany's face reddened and he looked away for a moment, his jaw working furiously.

"I was trying to protect Italy," he muttered. "That is why I was captured."

"I know," Rome said simply, his expression becoming more neutral. "And to answer your question, I am working with the aliens because I have to. These creatures found me and Germania first, although they could not use us like they want to use the other countries. Since we both knew too much and could not be killed, I was forced to work with the aliens so that I could secretly watch over the countries that they captured and watch out for my grandsons. Germania escaped and should have found my grandsons by now since they are out looking for you..."

"Germania?" Germany whispered. "Opa?"

"What do they want with us?" America demanded. "Why couldn't they use you and Germania?"

"Are my sisters well?" Russia interrupted. "You said that you were looking after the others countries, da? Where are my sisters?"

"Whoa, whoa," Rome chuckled, his good humor seemingly restored. "One question at a time! Yes, I was talking about Germania. Yes, I have seen your sisters, Russia. They are Ukraine and Belarus? Lovely girls, although it has been awhile since I have seen them... And to answer your question, America, the aliens wish to harness the energy that you take from your lands to power their weapons and regenerative abilities. They drain your energies by using rooms like this one."

America paled and glanced around the room, his baby blue eyes worried.

"So, are they.. draining us, like, right now?" he asked nervously.

"Well, not right now," Rome amended. "Not when I'm in here but.. yeah, they've been using your energy since you were put in here. Don't worry though, you don't become really weak for a few more days... not like the other countries."

"What other countries?" Russia snapped. "What about my sisters? How are they?"

"Belarus is doing better than Ukraine," Rome admitted reluctantly. "Some of the others though... they need to be taken out of here if we want them to survive." The ancient country paused for a moment, his hazel eyes sad. "I don't like being here, watching this, but I have to. You have to understand me," he added, looking at Germany.

The German nodded slowly, struggling to hide his surprise. Why did Rome care whether he understood or not? Did it have something to do with Italy?

"I need to go," Rome sighed. "The aliens... they barely trust me, and I need to keep up appearances." He turned to leave but paused, his hand hovering over the door. "I loved your grandfather, piccola Germania. I would have done anything for him. Italy and Romano are both like me in that way. They will risk anything for the ones that they love, will go anywhere."

Germany stared, stunned. He watched as the ancient empire disappeared through the doorway before turning to the other two countries with wide eyes.

"What the hell...?" he muttered.

The others shrugged, unwilling to tell the German what they had guessed. After all, it wasn't up to them to tell the German country what he felt. It would be up to Ludwig to confront his feelings for Italy, whether he wanted to or not.

**Hey all! I'm back from England and Ireland! Gorgeous countries, by the way! Iggy rocks! And his cooking is totally not that bad! (Then again, maybe I don't have tastebuds... hmm...) Anyways, sorry if this is a bit short... still getting over jet lag haha! Thanks so much to everyone who read/reviewed this story! Your reviews make me smile! :) So please keep 'em coming, 'cause I like to smile and I like the love! Although, if anyone wants to criticize anything in the story or tell me that I'm messing something up, please don't hesitate, ok? Okay, enough hyper ranting... Review! Spread the love!**

**Translations:**

Halt die Klappe- Shut up

Хватит об этом- Enough

Es tut mir leid- I'm sorry

Buongiorno, piccola Germania- Good day, little Germany

la mia piccola Italia- my little Italy

Va bene- It's okay


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Liechtenstein was disobeying her big brother. Or, she was considering it, at least.

Lila stood a few inches away from the gleaming barrier that her brother had set up to protect themselves, Austria, and Hungary, her small body trembling beneath the deep green uniform that she and her brother shared. Vash and the others had left hours ago to find the captured countries. Of course, she had been left behind. She was always left behind... Vash always told her that it was for her own good, and it was true that she had never actually been in a battle but dammit! She was tired of being treated like a helpless little girl. Her big brother had trained her (slightly against his will) to fight, and she knew that she could defend herself if she was forced to. Besides, the older countries weren't the only ones with friends missing. Roderich was her friend, as were Elizaveta and Tino and Berwald. And then there was Iceland, although they didn't get to talk very often...

Liechtenstein sighed and tugged nervously at the purple ribbon that her brother had bought her all of those years ago when a civilian had called her a boy. He had done so much for her, and now she was going to disobey him...

_It's for the best._ Lila straightened up as the voice went through her mind; a firm, confident voice that she hadn't heard since before her crisis after World War I. Yes, she needed to do this. She wouldn't be helpless anymore.

The young girl took a deep breath and darted through the gleaming barrier, forcing herself to stare straight ahead instead of looking over her shoulder at the safe zone that she had vacated. She couldn't turn back now, couldn't change her mind. She needed to do this.

There was silence for a while as the young country ran through the familiar trees that surrounded her brother's country, her ears and eyes straining for any sign of her brother or the other countries who had left with him. Occasionally, her hand would either tug at the ribbon in her hair or tighten around the small handgun that she had hidden in the pocket of her uniform. It wasn't much of a weapon, she knew. Not compared to the rifle that Vash always carried with him or the lead pipe that she had seen Russia threaten people with... Still, it was something.

Liechtenstein slowed to a halt as she reached the bank of a river, her large blue eyes narrowing. Was that smoke she saw in the distance? Did that mean that someone had lit a fire, or was this the work of the aliens? The girl hesitated for a moment before wading into the water, her eyes locked on the smoke in the distance. She paused when she was half-way through the body of water, her eyes widening when she heard the voices calling to her from behind.

"Liechtenstein... Liechtenstein... sister..."

"Vash?" she whispered, her body shaking with the urge to go after the voices. "Where are you?"

"Liechenstein.."

Wait, was that Roderich? Hadn't he and Hungary already been captured? Lila took a hesitant step away from the voices, trying to find the smoke again. She needed to concentrate...

"LIECHTENSTEIN!"

Lila jumped at the sound of her older brother's yell, his voice twisted in agony. Her feet slipped on the slippery rocks that lined the bottom of the river and she fell, a small cry breaking through her lips as the cold water closed over her head. She thrashed about in the water, all knowledge of how to swim fleeing from her mind as she tried to regain her footing. A flash of purple went past her eyes and she instinctively reached out to grab the ribbon as the current of the river began to carry her away...

The young girl yelped as strong arms fastened around her shoulders, the water choking her as it rushed into her lungs. She coughed as the arms lifted her out of the water and cradled her against a broad chest while she struggled to breath.

"'s 'lr'ght, L'cht'nst'n," a rough voice muttered against her damp hair. "'v g't y'."

Lila glanced blearily up at the man holding her, her breath scratching against her raw throat.

"B-Berwald?" she whispered hoarsely.

Sweden merely stared down at her with an unreadable expression before turning and wading to the opposite bank of the river. Lila glanced around at her surroundings as the Swede carried her through the trees, her cerulean eyes locking on a thin curl of smoke that rose above the treetops a few feet away.

"Is that where we're going?" she gasped.

Sweden nodded silently and tightened his grip on the girl as he approached Germania's fire, his sapphire eyes taking in the shocked expressions of the other countries as he gently lowered Liechtenstein to the ground.

"Sh' w's 'n th' r'v'r," he muttered.

"Ve~ What were you doing in the water?" Italy asked, his head cocked to the side. "It's cold there, you know."

"Were you alone?" England demanded, his large eyebrows furrowing. "Where's Switzerland?"

"B-big brother left with the others to find you and rescue the captured countries," Lila murmured. "H-he t-told me not to g-go but I couldn't stay behind s-so I followed him but I got lost and I saw the smoke so I followed it..." Her voice trailed off and she coughed, expelling some last drops of water that had remained in her system. She glanced up when a gentle hand took the damp ribbon from her clenched fist and watched with wide eyes as America's twin tied the strip of fabric in her hair again.

The Canadian smiled comfortingly at her and helped the girl closer to the fire, his violet eyes sympathetic.

"You were very brave, Liechtenstein," he whispered.

Lila blushed at the praise and glanced at the country anxiously.

"Will Vash be angry at me?" she wondered, her lips trembling at the thought of her brother's anger. She didn't like it when he got upset...

Matthew shook his head and patted the girl's shoulder gently.

"Nah," he assured her. "Did you watch over Kumajiki?" he asked cheerfully.

Liechtenstein nodded, grateful for the change in subject.

"I fed him before I left and asked one of the maids to watch over him before I left so that he wouldn't run away," she told the Canadian happily. "He's really worried for you, you know."

Matthew nodded, feeling slightly guilty at the worry that he had caused his constant companion. Still, it was for the best. He couldn't concentrate on a battle or even fight with a baby polar bear in his arms.

"Thanks, Lila," he said sincerely.

The young country grinned up at him, her smile fading when she noticed the German watching them expressionlessly from his place beside the fire.

"W-who are you?" she asked shyly.

The ancient country studied her for a moment before answering.

"I am Germania," he told her with a slight nod.

"Yeah, he's the awesome me's Opa," Prussia added, his slightly obnoxious smile failing to hide the impatience that still plagued him every moment they stayed in one place.

Liechtenstein's eyebrows rose and she glanced back at the old German with awe.

"Germany's grandfather?" she whispered. "Like, Italy and Romano's grandpa?"

"Ve~ Grandpa Rome and Germania were best friends, weren't they, Germania?"

Germania's cheeks reddened slightly and he nodded shortly, his jaw working.

"Ja... Friends," he murmured. "Close friends."

Romano frowned at the ancient country's reaction and glanced at Spain in confusion. Antonio shrugged and stretched, hiding the pain that still went through him when he moved his tired and wounded limbs.

"I think that I am well enough to get up now," the Spaniard spoke up quietly. "Do we want to go after the others now?"

Germania and Canada frowned, their eyes flickering to Liechtenstein.

"Are you sure that you are well?" Germania demanded. "And what about the girl? Can we bring her?"

"Switzerland would kill us for letting his sister go into battle," England murmured, hesitation flickering through his eyes. "Canada... do you want to wait here and-."

"Non," Canada snapped, his violet eyes flashing. "Make Spain or the Italies stay with her, since they are the weakest-."

"Who are you calling weak, _mi amigo_?" Spain demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "I was battling with super powers before you were even born, _comprende_?"

"And I will not stay when Germany is in danger!" Italy added furiously. "He needs me!"

"If you leave me behind when my fratello goes into a fight, I swear I'll have your balls," Romano growled.

"Stop," Lila snapped, the fury in her voice causing the others to stare at her in shock. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here. I'm not a child anymore, even if I do not have an army. I will go with you to help the others, and you won't leave me behind. I'll simply follow you if you try. And it's not right to leave anyone else behind when they have loved ones that they also want to rescue."

"I 'gr'," Sweden grumbled. "W'r' n't w'st'n 'nym'r t'm 'rgu'n. L't's g'."

"Yeah, come on," Prussia crowed. "It's time for the awesome me to kick some ass!"

Germania sighed and nodded reluctantly, a small smile making its way to his lips at the sight of his eldest grandson in a battle frenzy.

"Ja," he murmured. "Follow me, I will lead you to the ship." He paused for a moment and threw his tattered blue cape over the fire, watching thoughtfully as the flames were extinguished. "Rome will be waiting to let us in," he added.

The others nodded and began to file after the ancient country. Prussia hesitated and fell back until he was beside Liechtenstein, his scarlet eyes unusually serious.

"Hey, stay with me, okay kid?" he muttered. "Your brother would kill me if I let you get hurt and I might need your help to free some of the others."

Liechtenstein stared up at the former country that her brother and Austria hated so much in surprise. She nodded slowly and drew closer to the albino, her hand reaching to her pocket to grip the handgun that she still carried. Her face fell when she felt the drops of water that still clung to the metal, wondering if the firearm would still work. Prussia followed her gaze and frowned when he saw a glimpse of the silvery metal.

"Geez, Switzy should do a better job of hiding his weapons," he muttered dryly. "Here," he added, dropping one of his silver pistols in the shocked girl's hand. "These will work better against the aliens, just so you know."

"Thank you," Lila murmured, her cheeks paling as she gazed at the weapon. Would she really be able to kill a living being, even if it was an alien? "Um, who are you going to rescue? Weren't you going to look for Germany?"

"Yeah," Gilbert sighed. "But since we know he's with America and Russia, I'm going to leave his rescue to England and the Italies and Birdie- uh, Canada. There's someone else that I need to make sure gets out safely..."

"I think that you should free your brother before anything else," Lila interrupted quietly. "He would want to see you. Besides, once you free him and the other two, they would be able to help you free whoever else occupies your thoughts, wouldn't they?"

Prussia glanced down at the young girl in surprise and nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful.

"Damn, you're smart, kid," he mused. His expression clouded and he looked down at her solemnly. "But you've still gotta make sure that you don't get hurt, kay? Stay with Sweden or Antonio, they'll keep you safe. Especially Sweden since he's so intimidating to everyone except the awesome me. I wouldn't want Switzerland to come after my ass with his rifle."

Liechtenstein smirked despite herself. Her brother was truly wonderful to intimidate so many countries.

Canada watched the entire conversation with a small smile on his face. It was rare that he got to see the protective side of Gilbert...

"Are you doing alright, lad?" England asked, his voice interrupting the Canadian's thoughts. "Are you sure that you don't want to stay behind?"

Matthew raised his eyebrows at his foster father, his flashing violet eyes daring the older nation to repeat his last sentence. Arthur sighed and shook his head, a wry smile twisting his lips.

"Arthur..." Matthew's voice trailed off and his cheeks reddened in sudden embarrassment. Maybe he shouldn't say anything...

"Hm? Spit it out, Matthew."

Canada sighed and forced himself to meet England's curious green eyes.

"Look, I know it's really Al's job to be the overprotective brother and all, but I have to ask. Are you going to do anything about your feelings for my brother?"

Arthur stared at his former charge, his mouth opening and closing like a fish several times before he seemed to regain the power of speech.

"What the- why would you- bloody hell, what do you think I- it's not like-."

"Oh, I think it is," Canada interrupted coolly, his purple eyes serious. "I've noticed the way you look at Alfred sometimes, and I saw how you freaked out when you realized that he was in danger. I've been there, Arthur. Hell, I'm half _French_. I know what love looks like, and you've got it bad."

"You-."

"Let me finish." Matthew smiled despite himself at the look on the Brit's face. Now he could see why his father enjoyed this so much... it _was_ fun forcing people to recognize their affection for others... Oh God, he was turning into France, this was bad. "You need to tell Alfred how you feel when all of this is over, okay? Trust me, it'll do you both some good."

"What if he doesn't feel the same way?" Arthur asked despite himself. "What if I hurt him?"

The Canadian smiled soothingly at him and placed a gently hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Seriously, Arthur, do you really think that I would ask you to do this if it would hurt Al? Trust me, he loves you, too."

"Are you sure I can trust you, Matthew?" Arthur asked wryly. "You were raised by that frog."

Canada merely smiled and turned back to the path that Germania was leading them on to the ship.

_Hang on, Al_, he mentally urged his brother. _We're coming..._

****_Hang on Russia_, a small voice in the back of his mind added. _I'm coming..._

**Yep, don't own Hetalia and I'm not making any money off of this lovely story... shame...**

**Anyways, there's not a lot of translation in this chapter... because I'm kind of lazy today haha. And I decided it was about time we had some girl power in here... who better to show it then the lovely Liechtenstein? (Yes, I know I'm nuts... deal with it! XD) Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed or read this story! I love you all and you make my day complete!**

**Okay, some questions for my readers today... first, human names for Iceland, Ireland, North Ireland, Scotland, and Wales... Opinions, facts, or any insane thing that pops into your head, I accept them all! (any info on Iggy's siblings would be very much appreciated as well...). Second, if anyone knows how to do line page breaks, please tell me 'cause I'm an epic fail when it comes to those -.- yeah...**

**Reviews are love and make me smile! So review! Or I'll send Switzy after you with a gun! (Believe me, I can do it)**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Peut-on se reposer un moment? Dieu, je suis si fatigué ... "

"Shut up, France," Switzerland snapped irritably. "We've barely been walking for two hours."

"But _mon amie..._ I am so tired," France muttered, his hands reaching up to brush a few limps strands of his soft blonde hair away from his face.

"Yes, we got that, thank you France," Japan growled, his normally polite attitude gone as he stared intently at the cat that wove through the trees in front of him. "If you are so tired, go back and stay with Liechtenstein."

France frowned and was silent for a moment, his eyes moving to follow the cat that had somehow convinced Vash and Kiku to leave the safe zone. He knew he shouldn't have whined, but...

_I am scared_, France admitted silently. _I am scared of what we will find... only I cannot let the others know this. They would think that I was weak._

"You don't have to complain to hide your feelings, you know," a slightly arrogant voice pointed out from somewhere beside the Frenchman. France glanced down at the Chinese man who had moved close to his side at some point, his light blue eyes narrowing in confusion as he tried to figure out what China meant.

"We are all frightened," China continued, ignoring France's scrutiny. "You have friends missing, Switzerland and Japan do not know if their loved ones are safe, and I cannot find most of my own family. So you see, we all worry about what we will find at the end of this journey. There is no need to hide your feelings for fear of being weak."

Francis frowned, wondering if the Asian nation had somehow learned how to read minds during his thousand years of existence.

"I can tell from the expression on your face what you are thinking," Wang Yao muttered, once again guessing the Frenchman's thoughts. "Your expressions are very easy to read, Francis."

"I see..." France's frown deepened and he glanced back at the cat that Switzerland and Japan were following a few feet ahead. Was he really that easy to read? Was that a weakness? He supposed, in some circumstances, it could be... so why did he suddenly feel comforted by the other country's words? Perhaps he enjoyed being understood for once.

Vash gave a shocked yell from the front, immediately drawing the attention of his companions. China and France hurried to join Japan at the Swiss' side, their eyes sweeping the trees for any sign of danger.

"What is it, Vash?" Japan demanded, his hand going instinctively to the sword strapped at his side.

"I thought I saw-," Switzerland began, his gaze locked on a particular patch of trees almost directly in front of them.

"Mathieu?" France interrupted, his mouth falling open when he caught sight of the blonde Canadian walking beside England. "_Mon cher enfant_, what are you doing out here?"

"P-papa?" Matthew called in reply, his quiet voice carrying easily through the trees.

"Ah, hell," Romano's irritated voice came from somewhere ahead of Canada and England. "Not more of these morons..."

"Ve~ Japan? Is that you?"

"Italy?" Japan blinked, shocked by the sudden appearance of his former ally as the younger Italian appeared at Canada's side.

"What the hell- Dude! Francis!" Prussia called loudly, his red eyes flashing happily as he joined the small crowd that was now gathered in front of Switzerland and his companions. "You're okay! Had the awesome me worried for a bit... Antonio's here too, by the way, although good luck getting him away from that little Italian shrimp... kid's more protective than you are, Switzy."

Switzerland didn't reply to the taunt, his eyes now focused entirely on the small blonde girl that seemed to be hiding behind Prussia and a newly-arrived Sweden, her purple ribbon barely visible over the shoulders of the two men.

"Lila?" he gasped in shock.

Liechtenstein peeked tentatively around the side of the quiet Swede, her eyes wide. She smiled sheepishly at her brother, waiting warily for his reaction.

"H-hello, big brother," she mumbled, her cheeks going a bright red when he glared at her.

"What are you doing out here? I told you to stay home and be safe!" Vash snarled, his blue-green eyes flashing furiously.

"I... I wanted to come too," Lila whispered.

"You wanted to come? What do you think this is, some damn camping trip? This is dangerous, Liechtenstein! You don't even have an army, how am I supposed to fight when I'm too busy worrying about you?"

"G'v 't a r'st," Sweden interrupted suddenly, his deep blue eyes flashing behind his glasses. "Sh' w'nts t' h'lp, s' l't h'r. Sh's br'v' t' g' 'n h'r 'wn."

Switzerland glared at the Nordic country, his mouth opening to argue.

"Please, Switzerland, just let it go," Canada added, his voice surprisingly loud for once. "Let Liechtenstein help. We're going to keep her out of the fighting, of course, but she can help free some of the captured countries. Besides, it's not like you're the only one with friends to worry about."

Vash felt his cheeks redden and he glared at the Canadian before returning his gaze to his sister, his eyes softening when he saw the tears that were gathering in her wide eyes.

"Very well," he muttered reluctantly. "But stay close to me or one of the others, alright? Don't put yourself in danger... only focus on freeing the others."

Lila nodded eagerly, her expression grateful. Switzerland sighed in recognition and walked to his sister's side, his arm going around her shoulder protectively.

"Where are you all going?" he asked.

"To free the other countries, duh," Prussia responded immediately.

Switzerland rolled his eyes impatiently.

"I meant, where do you think that the countries are being held?"

"In the aliens' ship a few miles north of here," a new voice interjected quietly. A tall German with long blonde hair and worn armor detached himself from the trees, Romano and Spain at his sides. "I'm Germania," the German added, seeing the question in Switzerland, France, and the Asian nation's eyes. "The grandfather of Prussia and Germany."

"Like Grandpa Rome!" Italy piped up happily, his hand already latched around Japan's arm.

"Italy-san... please do not touch me," Japan sighed, his lips curving unwillingly into a small smile.

"Ve~ but Japan is so comfy! Not like Germany but..." The Italian's face darkened at the mention of the missing country, his grip loosening slightly on Japan's arm. Kiku blushed in shame at having brought up his other ally and gently patted Feliciano on the head.

"We will find him soon," he assured the nation. He turned to look at the others, his brown eyes going immediately to Germania. "You seem to be the leader... what is our plan?"

Germania shook his head, a wry smile twisting his lips.

"I can only lead you to the ship and help you hold off the aliens," he argued. "You must figure out the rest for yourselves."

"We need people to get the captured countries off of the ship," England piped up immediately.

"Some of us need to help Opa hold off the aliens," Prussia added, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "Even if Rome helps, he can't hold the aliens off alone."

"I will help," Canada spoke up suddenly, causing several countries to stare at the normally silent boy in shock. "I have my rifle with me, and I'm a good shot. It'll give us more time if we can kill the aliens at long range."

"I'll fight with Germania and... Canada? Yes, Canada," Switzerland added fiercely. "But my sister goes to free the captured countries. I want her out of the fighting."

"'ll l'k 'ft'r h'r," Sweden muttered. "Sh' c'n h'lp m' fr' m' w'f."

Liechtenstein nodded in agreement, her fingers playing anxiously with the damp purple ribbon in her hair.

"I want to help the captured countries," Japan added quietly. "Although I want to help in the fight..."

"I will fight, little brother," China interrupted quickly. "You take care of our family."

"And you can still fight the aliens if they get too close while you're freeing the others," France pointed out. "Besides, we do need some fighters to protect the captured countries in case they are too weak to fight, non?"

"What are you going to do, frog?" England demanded.

"I could ask you the same question, Angleterre. I will help where ever I am needed."

"Arthur will want to be with those who are freeing the other countries," Canada said suddenly. "So perhaps Papa will help me and Vash?"

"Oui, of course, _mon petit Mathieu_."

"I will help fight as well, si?" Spain added.

"Oh no you don't, bastard," Romano snapped. "You're still injured and weak. No way in hell am I letting you fight."

"_Lo siento_, Lovi, but I must."

Romano frowned and bit his lip, his hazel eyes flickering to his twin.

"Then I fight too," he said stubbornly. "I won't leave this stupid bastard."

"Lovi," Spain argued worriedly. "You don't like fighting. Help the others-."

"I don't give a damn about the others," Lovino snapped, ignoring the other countries present. "All I care about is you and Feli. I won't leave you when you're injured, Antonio! I won't!"

"Stop, Lovi!" Spain interrupted, his green eyes flashing angrily. "We don't have time for this. You cannot fight, and _I_ won't let you get yourself killed because of your pride."

"You think this is about _pride_, bastardo?" Romano screamed.

"Ve~ this isn't the best time, Lovino," Italy interrupted anxiously. "Please, can you wait until we've rescued Germany?"

"Shut the hell up, Feliciano!" Lovino snapped.

"He's right, Lovi," Spain insisted, his tone softening as he tried to soothe the angered Italian. "Please, help _tu hermano_, _por favor_? For me?"

Romano glared at the Spaniard and turned away, his hands curled into fists.

"Fine," he growled. "But you get yourself killed and I swear I'll eat every single one of your fucking turtles!"

"Not Señor Tortuga!"

"Okay, will you two stop with your lovers quarrel?" Prussia shouted. "We should be helping the others not freaking arguing about who gets to fight! Gott!"

"I agree," Japan added. "Are we decided on a plan?"

"Oui," Canada murmured. "Germania, Switzerland, Spain, France, China and I will hold off the aliens. The rest of you will free the other countries and get them off of the ship. Those of us who are fighting will follow as soon as you are safe."

"Good plan, Birdie!" Prussia crowed. "Now come on. The awesome me needs to rescue West and the others!"

Germania rolled his eyes and turned back to the path that he had been following before the arrival of Switzerland and his companions.

"Come along then," he muttered. "We are wasting time."

"Grandpa Rome!"

Rome smiled and walked out of the shadow of the alien's ship to meet his grandsons, his hazel eyes shifting anxiously to check their surroundings.

"Feliciano! And Lovino! _Cari miei nipoti! Come stai?_" he greeted cheerfully, his eyes flickering to the other countries for a brief moment before focusing entirely on the Italian twins.

"Ve~ _Stiamo bene, il nonno_," Italy replied happily. "Have you seen Germany? Is he okay?"

"_Si_, I have seen your friend, Feli. _Egli __é__ ben_," Rome said carefully. "What's wrong, Romano? Why are you so quiet?"

"Ve~ Lovino is upset because big brother Spain won't let him fight!"

"Shut up, Feli," Romano snapped, his face still flushed with fury from his argument with the Spaniard.

Rome raised his eyebrows and glanced over at the Spaniard who was eying Romano anxiously from his place beside France and Canada.

"I see..." he murmured. The ancient empire looked over at Germania, his expression abruptly serious. "The aliens only have a few guards on the level with the prisoners, so it shouldn't be much trouble getting to them."

Germania nodded, his blue eyes unreadable.

" Preußen," he muttered. "Remember the path that Rome leads you on. It will be the only way out once we get inside."

Prussia nodded grimly and motioned for Germania and Rome to go on. The ancient countries turned silently and slipped through a panel of the black spaceship that opened at Rome's touch. Canada and Switzerland followed with the other countries that were fighting, their hands fastened tightly around their rifles. Prussia motioned for the rest of the countries to follow him, his muscles tensed in expectation of a fight.

Rome led the group of countries through a seemingly endless labyrinth of off-white hall ways, his hands occasionally reaching out to touch several hidden panels in the pearly walls. He paused at the last panel and poked his head through the newly-revealed doorway, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

"There are about five aliens in there," he muttered. "Two more than there were when I last checked."

"We'll take care of them," Switzerland muttered, his hands gesturing to include Canada and the other fighters.

Rome nodded and stood aside to let the other countries pass. Canada slipped in front of Switzerland, his rifle already raised to shoot.

"Remember Vash, grab the rifle after I kill it," he muttered.

Switzerland nodded and shot his own rifle, his eyes flashing slightly when the shot alien turned around to face him, a gleaming silver rifle identical to his own clutched in its ebony hands. Canada shot the alien again without missing a beat and waited until Vash had collected the silver weapon before he fired again, his bullet cleaving through the second alien's skull like it was made of butter. China and France darted past the two countries and attacked two of the remaining aliens with their respective weapons. They waited until Switzerland and Canada had shot their adversaries before ducking to retrieve the silver replicas of their weapons. The four fell back to where Rome and the others still waited as Spain decapitated the last alien with his ax, his green eyes tightening slightly in pain from his barely-healed wounds.

"Alright," Rome muttered. "You five stay here and guard the entrance. The rest of you follow me. The prisoners are farther down this hallway."

The others nodded and followed the ancient country, leaving Germania to guard the entrance with the other five countries. Romano paused for a moment as he passed Spain, his furious yellow eyes meeting green for a brief moment before he followed the others to the prisoners.

"...And make sure that you do not run into the walls or anything," Rome was saying as Romano caught up. "You could accidentally set off an alarm and-."

Italy let out a startled yelp as the cat that now rode on Japan's shoulders let out a low hiss and leapt from the quiet country's shoulders. The Italian stumbled backwards as the cat ran past his feet, his shoulder colliding with the white wall of the ship.

The others froze as a shrill alarm split the air of the prison, their eyes immediately going to the dazed country that had set off the alert.

"S-scusa," Italy whispered, his green eyes wide with alarm.

Prussian and Romano swore and moved as one to grab the Italian. Romano reached his twin first, his arm fastening protectively around his brother's shoulder.

"Keep going," the elder Italian snapped. "The others will hold off the aliens for as long as they can."

Rome nodded in agreement and motioned for the countries to follow him, ignoring the anxious gazes that England, Liechtenstein, and Prussia threw over their shoulders towards their friends and family members. Romano made to follow the procession, only to be stopped by his brother's suddenly firm grip.

Lovino glanced back at his twin in surprise, his yellow eyes narrowing when he saw the conflicted expression on Feliciano's face.

"Fratello..." he whispered. "We need to follow Grandpa and the others."

"I did this, Lovino," Italy whispered mournfully. "What if the others get hurt? You'll be so mad at me if Spain gets hurt because of me..."

"Don't be stupid. Of course he'll be fine," Romano snapped, trying to hide his own worry. He needed to stay strong for his brother now.

"B-but you're worried about him..."

"Of course I am. Now shut up, Feli. We need to rescue that potato bastard, remember?"

"Ludwig... he'll be mad at me if I get his grandpa hurt," Italy sniffed mournfully. The younger Italian glanced back in the direction of the fighters, his hands reaching into his jacket to draw out the white flag that he carried with him everywhere. "I want to fight, fratello..."

"Wha- No! Feli, that's a stupid- Feli!" Romano swore as his brother tore away from him and ran back towards the fighters, his white flag clutched tightly in his shaking hands. Without a moments hesitation, the elder Italian tore after his twin, ignoring the sudden shout that came from his grandfather.

"Rescue the others!" Romano shouted over his shoulder at the other countries. "I'm going to help my brother."

"Lovino!" Rome yelled again, his voice cracking in panic as his two grandsons disappeared from his sight. The ancient empire hesitated and glanced at the Prussian by his side, his hazel eyes wide. "They can't fight... I can't let them get hurt!"

"Help us free some of the others and then you can go after those idiots," Prussia said firmly. My brother will most likely go with you."

Rome nodded reluctantly and cast one last anxious gaze after his grandsons before he continued down the hallway towards the imprisoned countries, the sounds of battle echoing from behind him.

**Okay, I think everyone knows that I don't own Hetalia... yet. Heeheeehee... Anyways, I'm so sorry for the delay! I just found lots of summer homework that my teachers conveniently forgot to put up until a few weeks ago, and I've been helping out at a local camp (it's World War II themed so I'm always laughing at mental Hetalia images lol). But, to make it up to my loyal readers and reviewers, I will try to put up another update in one or two days so that I can torture- Uh, I mean, so that I can make my readers happy! Yep, that's what I'm going to do...**

**As always, please review because reviews are love and make me smile! They make Spain and Italy smile too if that's any incentive... Review if you want Spain and Italy to smile! Even Romano might smile if you're nice enough!**

**Translations:**

Peut-on se reposer un moment? Dieu, je suis si fatigué – Can we rest for a moment? God, I am so tired

(French) Mon amie- my friend

(French) Mon cher enfant- my dear boy

(French) Angleterre- England

(French) Mon petit Mathieu- my little Matthew

(Spanish) Lo siento- I'm sorry

(Spanish) Tu hermano- your brother

(Spanish) Por favor- please

(Italian) Cari miei nipoti! Come stai?- My dear grandsons! How are you?

(Italian) Stiamo bene, il nonno- We are well, grandpa

(Italian) Egli é ben- He is well

(German) Preußen- Prussia

(Italian) Scusa- Sorry


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Spain stiffened as the shriek of the alarm reached his ears, his green eyes tightening in dismay when he saw the mob of shadowy aliens racing towards them.

"_Mierda_," he groaned, his hands tightening around the handle of his ax.

"Oui, I agree," France muttered, his blue eyes anxious as he raised his rapier.

Canada and Switzerland moved silently into place in front of the others, their rifles already raised as they fired at the oncoming horde.

"We won't be able to hold all of them off this way, Vash," Canada hissed.

"Then stay here and cover us," Germania snapped. The ancient country pushed past the two shooters, his hands tightening around a large silver spear that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"Where did he get the-?" France began. He stopped himself and shook his head before following the country, his rapier lashing out to slice neatly through the throat of the nearest alien. China and Spain followed close behind the Frenchman, their weapons cleaving through the skulls of their attackers with ease. Spain neatly dodged an attack from the alien in front of him, his head bowed in silent thanks to Matthew when the Canadian's bullet shattered the creature's skull seconds later. The Spaniard whirled around to face his next opponent, his ax neatly decapitating the alien just as cool metal sliced through his shoulder.

Antonio shrieked in pain and fell to his knees, his grip loosening on his ax as one of his hands reached for the wound that was now throbbing painfully with each pulse of his heart. A shout that seemed to belong to Francis echoed in the Spaniard's ears as he glanced up to meet the emotionless red gaze of the alien that had struck him, his muscles tensing. The creature seemed to smirk as it raised its own weapon, a smooth silver ax nearly identical to the country's own, the blade poised to cleave the Spaniard's head from his body...

The alien seemed to blink in surprise as a furious yell split the air, its eyes widening ever-so-slightly as a short brunette head butted the creature's abdomen. The alien emitted a coughing shriek and staggered backwards, the silver ax falling from its hands.

Romano snatched the weapon up in his thin hands, his yellow eyes tightening in disgust when the blade of the ax sliced through the alien's neck.

"_Nossuno tocchi i miei Spagna_," the Italian snapped, his hands shaking slightly as he gazed down at the fallen alien. "_Bastardo_," he added, his lips curving into a smirk as the familiar curse left his lips.

"Lovi- no!" Spain yelled, his eyes widening when he saw the alien coming to attack Lovino from behind.

Romano whirled around to face the new attacker, the ax raised hesitantly in his inexperienced hands.

"C-chigi," he mumbled. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea...

A silver wok collided with the back of the creature's skull, knocking the alien onto the floor. China waited until Romano's ax had ensured the alien's death before he turned to his next opponent, his dark eyes flashing with annoyance in the midst of his battle frenzy.

"Watch your back, aru," the Chinese man snapped, his wok and ladle lashing out at several aliens at once.

Romano and Spain stared at the Asian in surprise before the sound of Canada and Switzerland's gunfire brought them back to the battle at hand. Lovino hastily placed himself in front of the wounded Spaniard, his arms still trembling slightly whenever the blade of his ax made contact with an alien's flesh.

"I hate fighting," the Italian muttered under his breath. He glanced to his right when he heard his twin shout a furious "Ve!", his lips curving into another smirk when he saw the younger Italian use the end of his white flag to vault himself into an unsuspecting alien. Germania followed close behind Italy, his spear slamming into the chests of the aliens that Feliciano had knocked to the ground. Romano chuckled despite himself and buried his weapon into the chest of another attacker. Maybe his idiot fratello could actually do something right for once...

"Lovi," Spain hissed, his teeth gritted against the pain that racked his body from his injuries. "Lovi, get out of here before you get hurt."

Romano snorted and shook his head, his eyes widening when he saw France's rapier slice an alien in half a few feet away.

"Why, so you can get yourself killed? _Alcun modo all'inferno to sto lasciando ora, Spagna_," he growled.

Spain frowned and tried to pull himself to his feet, a small gasp escaping his lips when the movement sent another wave of pain through his body. The Spaniard stiffened in surprise when small hands helped him gently to his feet, his green eyes locking onto Lovino's for a brief moment. The elder Italian hastily pressed his lips to Spain's for a moment before pulling away, his eyes narrowing in a glare when he saw the dazed expression that passed across Antonio's handsome features.

"I told you this wasn't about pride, bastard," Romano mumbled. He gently pushed the shocked Spaniard towards Canada and Switzerland, his tense muscles relaxing slightly when the Swiss pulled Antonio behind him.

"_Grazi_-," the Italian began, only to be cut off by a strangled yell that pierced the air behind him. Lovino whirled around, his knees buckling in horror when he saw his twin fall limply to the ground a few yards away, blood spurting from a deep gash in the younger Italian's scalp.

A furious roar broke tore at Romano's throat and he raced towards his brother. He rammed the end of his ax into the white floor of the ship and vaulted himself over the aliens that rushed to detain him, his yellow eyes locked on Feliciano as an alien struck another blow on the fallen twin's lower back and arm with what looked like a dulled sword.

"Fratello!" Lovino screamed, his blade lashing out at any creature that got in his way. He saw Germania lunge at the alien that had attacked his brother before the creature could land another blow, his lips curling into a feral snarl as the ancient country impaled the alien with his spear.

_Serves him right_, the Italian thought furiously.

Romano skidded to a halt beside his brother, the ax falling from his hands as he dropped to his knees beside his twin, his hands reaching to clasp his brother's shoulders in a frantic embrace.

"Feliciano! _Va tutto bene? Rispondimi, fratello!_" Lovino cried as he shook his twin, trying to elicit a reaction from the disturbingly silent Italy.

Feliciano didn't respond, his frightened green eyes already glazed over with the haze of death.

Rome paused for only a moment by the door that led to the first cell, his hand brushing hastily along a hidden panel in the spotless ivory wall.

"The Asian nations should be in here," he snapped, his hazel eyes flickering constantly over his shoulder in the direction of the battle that his grandsons had joined.

Japan nodded in thanks and stepped inside the cell, his brown eyes sweeping anxiously over his siblings.

"Mei?" he called out hesitantly. "Yong Soo? Li?"

"K-kiku?" Taiwan replied warily from the corner of the chrome cell, her tangled black hair falling limply over the shoulders of her torn pink dress. Korea peeked nervously over his sister's shoulder, his eyes widening when he caught sight of his brother.

"Kikuuuu!" the Korean gasped happily, his ruined blue and white robes flapping loosely behind him as he ran to hug his brother. Japan stiffened automatically at the contact before relaxing slightly, his arms reaching up hesitantly to pat his shaking brother on the shoulder.

"_Hai_, I'm here," he muttered. "Is everyone else here?" he asked in a slightly louder voice.

"Thailand and Vietnam lost consciousness," Hong Kong replied from another corner of the cell, his jaw clenched as he leaned over his weakened siblings. "We'll have to carry them out."

"Are you strong enough, Li?" Japan asked cautiously. He knew from experience that Hong Kong hated being asked that question, but now wasn't exactly the time for pride.

Hong Kong nodded, too weary and relieved at Japan's arrival to be angered by the question.

"중국은 어디에 있습니까?" Korea asked, his normally cheerful voice anxious as he hurried to help Hong Kong carry the two unconscious Asians out of the cell. "Oh, and can you help Mei, Kiku? She's not as strong as Li and I are, and I don't know if she can walk."

Taiwan glared at Korea and grudgingly accepted Japan's offered arm, a small wince passing across her face as Kiku placed her arm around his shoulders.

"I thought you hated having people touching you, Kiku," she murmured.

Japan smiled drily and started to lead his siblings out of the cell.

"I do not mind when 姉妹 needs me," he replied simply. "Yao is fighting off the aliens to give us time to escape," Kiku added in answer to Yong Soo's question.

"By himself?" Hong Kong demanded, his brow furrowed in disapproval.

"No, some of the other countries are fighting with him," Japan replied absently. He paused when they exited the cell, his eyes flickering to where Rome and the others were busy freeing the remaining countries. He hesitated for a moment before leading his siblings back in the direction of the battle. Hadn't Germania said that that was the only way out of the ship?

Taiwan and Korea yelled in warning as an alien broke through the other countries' defenses. The creature turned in the direction of their screams and launched itself towards the Asian nations, a silvery weapon already forming in its hands. Japan pushed Taiwan behind him and threw himself in front of his other siblings, his katana already pulled from its sheath. He raised the weapon in front of him, his dark eyes narrowing when he saw the identical silver katana now clutched in the alien's hand. Kiku slashed at the alien, his brown eyes widening in shock when the creature blocked the blow and knocked his beloved blade out of his hands. The alien drew closer to the Japanese man, its sword raised to deliver the killing blow-

Greece's cat leapt on top of the alien's head with a fierce his, its claws raking across the creature's red eyes. The alien screeched in pain and reached for the cat, only to pause and stare down at the spear that had been run through its midsection.

The alien collapsed limply at Japan's feet, revealing a slightly disshevelled man with messy dark hair and fierce eyes, a golden cross-shaped spear clutched tightly in his hands. The man turned to smile briefly at the cat that now jumped neatly off of the fallen alien's head, its tail flicking from side to side in satisfaction.

"καλή γάτα," the Greecian nation murmured, his voice still slightly thick from his numerous sleeps. The Greek glanced over at Japan, his bright green eyes sweeping over the Asian nation for any sign of damage. "Kiku," he sighed, his eyes brightening in relief.

"H-heracles-san," Japan gasped. He moved to take a step towards his lover, only to remember his conscious siblings, who were now staring at him with wide eyes. Kiku smiled in thanks at Heracles and bent to help Mei to her feet again, his brown eyes never leaving Greece's green.

"We need to get my siblings out of here," Japan murmured.

Greece nodded and began to lead the Asian nations towards the exit, his spear stabbing ruthlessly at any alien that got too close.

"Go to my place," Switzerland yelled at the small group, his voice somehow managing to be heard over the sounds of gunfire and battle. "Stay there until the rest of us join you."

Japan nodded to show the Swiss that he understood and made to follow Greece, his feet stopping for a moment when he caught sight of his Chinese brother.

"Yao!" he yelled, trying to be heard over the sounds of the battle.

China looked up from his latest adversary, his dark eyes sweeping over his siblings with obvious relief.

"I will see you at Switzerland's home, aru!" China yelled back, his voice trailing off into a low grunt as he swung his wok into another alien's skull. "Be careful!"

Japan nodded again and continued following Greece, his brown eyes locking for a brief moment on two dark-haired Italians who seemed locked in an embrace in the middle of the fighting.

It wasn't until he had left the ship that he realized that one of the Italians hadn't been moving.

**Hey! So, here's the second update I promised! I'll try and get another one up as soon as I can!**

**... Yeah, so, I don't really have anything else to put on here... Please review! Reviews are love and make Italy smile! Also, on a more serious note, please keep Japan and Norway in your thoughts for the next few days, and if any of my readers are from those countries, I'm so sorry for what you guys and your country have gone through. Stay strong Japan and Norway!**

**Translations:**

(Spanish) Mierda- Shit

(Italian) Nossuno tocchi i miei Spagna- No one touches my Spain

(Italian) Alcun modo all'inferno to sto lasciando ora, Spagna- No way in hell am I leaving you now, Spain

(Italian) Grazi- Thank you

(Italian) Va tutto bene? Rispondimi, fratello!- Are you alright? Answer me, brother!

(Korean) 중국은 어디에 있습니까?- Where is China?

(Japanese) 姉妹- Sister

(Greek) καλή γάτα- Good cat

**Note: In case anyone was wondering, I made Hong Kong's name Li, and I was too lazy to actually come up with names for Thailand and Vietnam. Sorry if I got anything wrong! Please feel free to point any mistakes out to me, ok?**


	12. Chapter 12

**AAAAGGGGHHH! Crap, I am so sorry guys! Haha, yeah, put up the wrong story... and that's what happens when you go through an entire week with only 7 hours of sleep...**

**Again, so so sorry!**

Chapter 12

Sweden frowned as Rome stopped in front of the next door, his eyes flashing with impatience. Was this where Finland and the others were? How much longer did his wife have to stay in this place?

Rome turned towards the countries that were still gathered around him, apparently oblivious to the impatient glare that the Swede was now sending his way.

"Which one of you is England again?" he asked distractedly, his hazel eyes still flickering back in the direction of the battle.

Arthur frowned and moved forward.

"I am," he replied. "Why-?"

"Your siblings are in here," Rome interrupted. "They were thrown in here with the German countries and that odd blonde that likes to dress like a girl."

Prussia's brow furrowed at the mention of Poland and made his way to England's side.

"Do you mean Austria and Hungary?" he demanded. "Are they the ones in there?"

Rome nodded and pressed his hand against the white wall. England and Prussia exchanged puzzled looks before pushing past the ancient country into the dark cell, their eyes narrowing.

"Sean?" Arthur called hesitantly. "James? Will? Aoife?"

"Why do you always call me last?" Ireland called irritably, her green eyes flashing beneath her tangled red hair as she limped towards her brother, a boy with identical chin-length red hair and dark green eyes at her side.

"Hey Artie," Northen Ireland called hoarsely, ignoring the glare that his twin sister was casting in his direction. "'Bout time ya showed up. Did the aliens capture ya too?"

"Always knew yeh were weak," Scotland scoffed. The country lifted himself gingerly to his feet, his light green eyes tightening in pain. "Git away, Willy," he snapped at the Welsh man that was now offering him a helpful hand. "I don' need yer help."

Wales shrugged and shot a small smile at England.

"You alright, Arthur?" he asked quietly.

England nodded, his eyes wide. How on earth had he not noticed that his siblings were missing?

"I- Yes, I'm fine, Will. Thank you," he muttered. "How on earth did you-?"

Prussia shoved past the Brit, already bored with the reunion between the siblings.

"Liz?" he called. "Roddy? You two in here?"

"We're here, Gil," Hungary answered wearily. "Although I'm afraid that Roderich isn't doing very well..."

"Yeah, like, he's not really moving," Poland added. The blonde Pole hurried past Prussia to the door, his eyes narrowing when he saw the others waiting by the doorway. "Like, where's Liet?"

Prussia ignored the Polish man and made his way to where the Hungarian woman was crouched beside her Austrian ex-husband.

"You okay, Liz?" Gilbert asked, his voice unusually quiet.

Hungary snorted and rolled her eyes, a small smile curving her lips.

"What, were you worried about me, Gil?" she teased.

Prussia smirked and bent over to throw Austria's arm over his shoulder. "So, how're you doin', little Roddy?"

"Oh shut up," Austria snarled weakly. "I am not little."

The Prussian chuckled wryly and glanced back at England.

"Better head back to Switzy's house with your siblings, Artie," he called. "I'll get West and your boyfriend out safely."

England narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, only to be cut off by Ireland.

"We can get ourselves back," she snapped. "Will and I are strong enough to protect Sean and James."

"Aoife..." England muttered, his expression shocked.

"Don't start with me, Arthur," Ireland growled. "You and I both know that you wouldn't forgive yourself if you weren't there to save that boy of yours. Besides," she added with a wry smile. "Why would I want to be protected by _you_, little brother?"

Arthur snorted and shot his sister a grateful look.

"Stay here until we've rescued the Scandinavians," he instructed. "Sweden and Liechtenstein will lead you out of here once they've rescued Finland and the others."

Wales and Ireland nodded and helped their weaker siblings to their feet.

"Hurry up, Artie," Scotland grumbled, not quite able to hide the worry in his eyes. "And don't get yerself killed or I'll murder yeh."

England chuckled and turned to Rome.

"Show Sweden and Liechtenstein where the Scandinavians are," he ordered. "And hurry. I want my family out of here."

Rome nodded and hurried down the hall, Sweden and Liechtenstein close behind him. He skidded to a halt halfway down the corridor and slid his hand over another panel, only to hastily leap out of the way when a furious Dane erupted from within the dark cell.

"I'm going to kill you you alien bastard!" Denmark roared, his eyes wild beneath his tousled blonde hair. "Norge, get my ax!"

"D'nm'rk," Sweden interrupted, his expression a strange mix of relief and exasperation. Maybe he could get away with leaving the insane Dane in the prison...

Denmark froze, his wide eyes meeting Sweden's before going to the blonde girl who huddled behind the Swede.

"What the-? How did you get here, Sweden?" he gasped.

"Wh'r's m' w'f?" Berwald demanded, not really in the mood for questions.

Denmark stepped to the side to let Sweden and Liechtenstein into the cell, his expression still slightly dazed. Sweden paused just inside the doorway, his eyes combing the darkness for Finland.

"T'no?" he called anxiously.

"B-Berwald?" Finland's voice croaked from the back corner.

Sweden sighed in relief and ran in the direction of the voice, his arms wrapping tightly around the gentle country that huddled there.

"'m h'r'," Berwald muttered, his voice breaking slightly in relief. "Y' 'lr'ght?"

Tino nodded, his head buried into the Swede's chest. "You came."

Sweden smiled and tightened his grip on the Fin.

"Y's," he muttered. The Swede pulled Finland into his arms and stood up, his lover cradled gently against his chest. "L't's g'."

Liechtenstein smiled timidly at the tender display and turned back to Denmark, her cheeks reddening when she saw the Dane watching her.

"You're Ice's friend, right?" Denmark muttered, his eyes narrowed.

Lila nodded slowly.

"Y-yes," she murmured. "Is he alright? I- I came to help you guys g-get free."

Denmark nodded slowly, his expression suddenly thoughtful. Without warning, the Dane leaped forward and grabbed the girl's arm. Ignoring Lila's cry of protest, Denmark pulled the girl towards another corner of the cell.

"Lukas!" he yelled. "Emil!"

"What the hell, Matthias?" Norway groaned, his light blue eyes opening to glare at the Dane. His furious look melted into one of confusion when he saw the red-faced girl beside Denmark. "Hey, isn't that Switzerland's little sister?"

Iceland stirred slightly from his place on the ground beside his brother, his indigo eyes fluttering open. He met Lila's anxious gaze for a moment, his pale face reddening ever so slightly.

"Lila," he murmured flatly. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I came to m-make sure that you got out okay," Liechtenstein muttered, her blush deepening to an impressive scarlet. "W-we need to hurry. Rome is waiting to lead us back to England's siblings so me and Sweden can take you all back to my big brother's house."

"Why would we want to go to Switzerland's house?" Denmark muttered, seeming to forget that he was in a cell for the moment. "The bastard would probably shoot at me..."

"Sw'tz'rl'nd's h'se 's s'fe," Sweden snapped irritably. "C'me 'n. N'rw'y, 'cel'nd, c'n y' w'lk?"

"I can carry Norge!" Denmark called cheerfully. Ignoring the Norwegian's snarled death threats, the Dane scooped his fellow country into his arms and darted out of the cell, barely waiting for Sweden to catch up with him.

Liechtenstein shook her head wearily and bent to offer a hand to Iceland, trying to ignore the heat that spread across her skin at the Scandinavian's touch. Emil offered her a small smile and followed her out of the cell, his hand still clasped in hers. Rome chuckled at the two countries and followed them back to the cell where England and Prussia were waiting with the other freed prisoners.

"R'ght," Sweden muttered. "'vry'n' F'll'w m'."

Ireland and Wales nodded and waited until Denmark and Sweden had passed before hurrying after them, Scotland and Northern Ireland leaning heavily against their shoulders. Liechtenstein hesitated before following the others, her eyes flickering to where Hungary and Poland stood beside Prussia, Austria supported between them.

"Aren't you three coming?" she asked quietly.

Elizaveta smiled kindly at the young girl and shook her head.

"We'll meet you there," she promised. "We just want to wait to make sure everyone else gets out okay."

"And I, like, totally need to make sure that Liet isn't hurt or else I'm going to, like, kill these alien bastards," Poland added, his green eyes uncharacteristically fierce.

Liechtenstein nodded reluctantly and hurried after the others with Iceland by her side. Rome waited until all of the escaping countries had disappeared from view before he made his way to the next cell, his eyes tightening when the sounds of gunfire echoed down the hall.

"You and West can go and make sure that the Italy's are alright after he's free," Prussia reminded him. "Come on, there are still some people that we need to look after."

The ancient country nodded reluctantly and led the others to the end of the hallway, his hand brushing against a panel towards the very edge of the corridor.

"Germany and the other two are in here," he stated flatly. "Russia's siblings are across the hall with the Baltics."

"Open both of the doors and let us get them out," England growled. "Then you can go after your grandsons."

Rome brushed his hand across both of the panels and hastily stepped away from both of the entryways as England and Poland pushed past him. England ducked into the cell that was supposed to hold America, searching for any sign of his former colony.

"Arthur!"

England stumbled as he was tackled by the American, his green eyes widening in shock.

"A-Alfred?" he stuttered.

America pulled away from the Englishman, his blue eyes locking onto England's from behind Texas.

"You came," the American stated simply, his round face breaking into a smile that momentarily dazzled Arthur.

"Y-yes. Of course I came, you git!" England grumbled. "Couldn't very well leave you... Wanker..."

Prussia snorted and once again shoved England out of the way, his red eyes brightening when he caught sight of his brother a few feet away.

"West!" he sighed in relief. "The awesome me has arrived to rescue you!"

Germany glanced up at his brother, a small smile curving his lips.

"Hallo, bruder," he chuckled. "Nice to see you too... How are you? Where's Italy?"

Prussia winced at the mention of the Italian and glanced over his shoulder at the Roman who was waiting impatiently at the doorway of the cell.

"Is your fratello coming or not?" Rome demanded.

"Where-?" Germany began.

"Feliciano and Lovino went to help in the fighting," Rome interrupted. "I couldn't go after them because I needed to help free you. Now, would you please come with me before those two get themselves killed?"

Germany's face paled and he pushed past his brother, his hands clenching into fists.

"_Lass uns gahen_," he growled. Rome nodded, seeming pleased by the German's attitude. The two countries hurried away from the other countries towards the battle. Prussia watched them go, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Gil."

Gilbert turned at the sound of Hungary's voice, his eyes softening slightly when he saw her standing behind him.

"Gil, we need some help in the other cell," Elizaveta said softly. "Estonia's fine, but Latvia and Ukraine can barely walk and Lithuania won't make it far without Poland's help. Belarus is fine, as far as I can tell... although she keeps threatening to kill me with a knife... but I don't think that she'll be able to help us carry anyone, and I need to help Roderich."

"I will help Katyusha, da?" Russia interrupted. Hungary and Prussia jumped and whirled around to face the Russian.

"It is totally unawesome to sneak up on people, you know that Russ?" Prussia grumbled.

"I did not sneak up on you. I was behind you the whole time, and you never noticed," the Russian replied calmly. "Now, let me see my sisters."

Hungary nodded, her hands clenching reflexively by her sides, and lead the tall country to the other cell, muttering something about frying pans under her breath.

**Boy, that was surprisingly hard to write... Yeah, sorry if this chapter isn't as good as some of the others... Like I said, hard to write. I promise the next chapter will be better! Also, I'm going to the beach with my family for a week starting Saturday, so I don't know if I'll be able to get another update in before I go. So, to those of you who are threatening to kill me because of what I did to Italy... haha, guess you'll have to wait a bit to find out what happens to him and the others, won't you?**

**Please review! Reviews are love, and the world needs love! Or, if you don't care about that, review and I'll write some fluff between your favorite couple in the next few chapters!**

**I don't own Hetalia, or Denmark's ax... My friends wouldn't trust me with the ax, anyways, so that's beside the point.**

**Also, in case you were wondering: Sean is Northern Ireland, Aoife is Ireland, Will is Wales, James is Scotland, Emil is Iceland, and Lukas is Norway. Sorry if I wrote any of them wrong... first time writing any of the British Isles so... yeah, feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong.**

**Translation: (Only one this time!)**

Lass uns gahen (German)- Let's go


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Germania swore as another alien attempted to attack the Italian twins, his spear hastily slashing through the creature's unprotected abdomen. Damn, why did all of these creatures go after Rome's idiotic grandsons?

The ancient German glanced around him for a moment, his blue eyes narrowing in approval as France and China took out three other aliens a few feet away. The ancient nation winced delicately as gunfire erupted behind him and glanced over his shoulder to where Switzerland and Canada still crouched in front of the wounded Spain, their guns blazing. He had never really gotten used to those weapons... spears and axes were much better in his opinion.

Germania was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud cry from the elder Italian twin as another alien approached him and his deceased twin. Before the ancient nation could move, Romano had launched himself at the attacker, his hands clasped around the the ax that he had taken from Spain. The elder Italian howled in triumph as the blade neatly separated the alien's head from its shoulders.

"_Stare lontano da mio fratello, bastardo!_" Romano screamed, his yellow eyes blazing with fierce anger.

Germania stared at the slender Italian, his breath catching in his throat. For one brief moment, the ancient nation imagined that he was seeing Rome in all his glory. The German shivered for a moment as the Italian turned his gaze to him, remembering the many times that Rome's anger had made his blood nearly run cold with fear. It seemed that the eldest twin had inherited that trait of his grandfather's...

"Don't just stand there, bastard!" Romano snarled at the ancient country, his hands tightening around the ax. "Help me protect my fratello."

Germania nodded and made his way to Romano's side, his own spear held tightly in his hands. The ancient country's eyes zeroed in on another alien that was making its way towards them, his feet already carrying him forward.

Romano turned away as Germania's spear embedded itself in the alien's skull, his eyes tightening as he saw another creature headed his way. The Italian raised the ax in front of him, his feet planted firmly in front of his fallen brother. No matter what it took, he wouldn't let anything touch Feliciano again.

Lovino growled when the creature paused several feet away from him, a handgun materializing in its ebony hands. Shit... This wasn't going to end well. Romano tensed as the creature aimed the gun at his head, his muscles preparing to leap out of the way the moment the shot fired...

A shot rang out from behind Lovino moments before the alien's skull shattered and the creature collapsed. Romano blinked in shock and slowly turned around, wondering dimly if Switzerland or Canada had decided to actually join the fight. He yelped in shock as a brown-haired blur ran out him, tanned arms wrapping around his shoulders as his grandfather pulled him to the ground.

"What the hell?" Romano yelled, struggling to escape from Rome's tight grip. "Grandpa, what are you-?"

"You idiot!" Rome hissed, interrupting his grandson mid rant. Lovino paused and glanced up at the ancient empire, his face paling slightly when he saw the raw fury in Rome's hazel eyes. "What were you thinking?"

"I-," Romano opened his mouth to defend himself, only to have his voice die in his throat when a pained cry rose above the sounds of battle.

Germany had found Italy.

Germany's knees buckled at the sight of the Italian's corpse, his breath catching in his throat as his arms gently cradled the body against his chest, his face buried in the bloodied brown hair of his ally. The German's lips were moving, although he couldn't hear the words that came from his mouth. Even the battle still raging around him had fallen mute, the only sound in his shattered world the desperate mantra that had started in his mind the moment he saw Italy.

_Nein... nein... not Italy... not Feliciano... Nein..._

Ludwig shook the limp Italian, hoping against hope that the small form would respond, would beam up at him and utter one of those annoyingly endearing "Ve"s. Italy couldn't be dead, right? He was a country... Countries couldn't be killed... Germany himself was an example of that. Italy would come back... he had to...

_But he's dead now_, a small voice whispered in the far corners of Germany's mind. _It's your fault, isn't it? He only came here because of you... won't he hate you when he wakes up? Does he hate you now in the realm of the dead?_

"Germany."

The German blinked as his grandfather's voice broke through the silence, his tear-drenched eyes lifting to meet Germania's.

"Vati..." he croaked. "Feliciano..."

Germania nodded, his expression unusually sympathetic.

"You can't help him now," the ancient country whispered.

"He will come back," Germany growled desperately.

"_Ja_," Germania agreed. "But for now he is dead. Keep yourself from joining him."

Ludwig blinked again and nodded slowly, his legs already pushing back up into a standing position. He hesitated for a moment before pressing the dead Italian into his grandfather's arms, his jaw set.

"Take him to safety," the German growled. "I will take your place in the fighting."

Germania nodded in satisfaction and gestured towards the spear that lay on the ground beside him.

"I have a weapon," Germany muttered, his hand reaching towards the pistol that he had placed in his belt after shooting the alien that had been attacking Romano.

"I want you to fight with mine," Germania stated firmly.

Ludwig nodded in defeat and bent to retrieve the spear, his hand clenching into a fist around the handle.

"_Aufwiedersehn, Vati_," he murmured. "I will see you after this is over."

Germania allowed a small smile to flicker across his lips before he turned away from his grandson.

"Rome," he snapped, waiting until the furious ancient nation had stopped lecturing Romano before he continued. "I have your other grandson. We need to leave."

Rome paused for a moment as he caught a glimpse of Feliciano's body in Germania's arms, his expression crumpling in agony.

"Feliciano..." he choked.

"We will take care of him," Germania assured him, his voice surprisingly gentle. "But for now we can do nothing. You have another one to take care of, ja?"

Rome glanced over his shoulder at Lovino, who had been staring at his brother's corpse with a pain that rivaled his grandfather's.

"_Si_," Rome whispered. He pulled himself and Romano into standing positions before shoving the Italian towards Germania. "Guard mine. I will fight beside yours."

Germania nodded, his blue eyes flickering back to where Germany was now battling the aliens.

"_Aufwiedersehn_, then, Roma," the ancient German murmured.

Rome raised his hand to his forehead before lowering it to his lips.

"_Fate attenzione, custode del mio cuore_," he murmured before running into the battle, his sword already clutched in his hand.

Germania stared at the Roman's retreating back, his cheeks burning slightly. Romano snorted and grabbed the ancient country's arm, his hazel eyes narrowed.

"What is it with you potato bastards and my family?" he growled. "Come on," he sighed when the German failed to respond. "We need to get out of here."

Germania nodded and followed the Italian away from the fighting. He nodded curtly in Switzerland and Canada's direction, signalling for them to cover their retreat. The Canadian nodded in return before shoving the wounded Spaniard after them.

"Take Spain with you," the quiet country shouted above the sounds of battle.

Romano nodded and threw Spain's arm over his shoulder before continuing on towards the exit, his eyes widening slightly when a slender Asian appeared by Spain's other side.

Japan smiled shyly at Italy's twin as he threw Antonio's other arm around his own shoulder, his brown eyes flickering back to where Germany was fighting.

"I promised him that I would look after Italy," Kiku murmured to the confused Lovino. "And you are part of Italy."

Romano nodded wordlessly, his hazel eyes darting back towards his brother for a moment before returning to Japan.

"_Grazie mille_," he muttered. "But don't slow me down, bastard, or I'll kill you."

Japan merely smiled before increasing his pace, his dark eyes focused on the door ahead of them.

"Come on," Prussia grunted, his teeth gritted with the effort of carrying Austria on his back. "Just a little further... Dammit, Roddy, why are you so heavy? I can't believe Switzy used to carry you after Liz beat you up..."

"Roderich was lighter then," Hungary added, a small smile flickering across her lips as she helped Estonia pull Latvia forward. "And I'm sure Vash never complained..."

America laughed at the furious expression on Austria's face, his smile widening when he glanced down at the Englishman walking by his side.

"So, is there still a fight going on up ahead?" the American asked eagerly. "'Cause I really want to kick somebody's ass for sticking me in a cell with Russia."

England glared up at his former colony, his emerald eyes still bright with concern.

"Absolutely not, you git," he growled. "You're in no condition to fight anyone. Once we reach the fighting, I'm sending you and Matthew back to Switzerland's house."

"And what are you going to do, then?" Alfred demanded, his blue eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

"Well, someone needs to take Canada's place in the fighting," Arthur snapped, his chin lifted defiantly. "And I can shoot a bloody rifle as well as he can."

"Matvey is fighting?" Russian interrupted, his violet eyes creased in concern. The Russian tightened his grip on Ukraine before hurrying to England's side, his older sister cradled in his arms. "Why is he in the battle?"

"He's a good shot," England muttered absently. "He still holds the sniper record from- wait a bloody minute, why do you care?"

"Don't ask," America grumbled sourly.

"Hey, like, did anyone else hear that yell?" Poland called from his place at the front, his arms tightening around the Lithuanian that was currently held in his arms.

Prussia frowned and paused for a moment, his red eyes flashing with concern.

"Sounded like West..." he muttered. "Come on, we've got to pick up the pace."

The others nodded and followed the albino to the end of the corridor, their footsteps slowing to a halt when the saw Canada and Switzerland crouched at the end of the hallway, the shots from their rifles slamming into the approaching aliens like fiery rain.

America's eyes widened at the grim expression on his brother's face and he opened his mouth to call out to the Canadian, only to be cut off by a cry from the Russian next to him.

"Matvey!" Russia yelled. "Aim to the right!"

Canada jumped at the sound of the Russian's voice and glanced once over his shoulder before aiming his gun to the right. A small smirk flitted across his lips for a moment as another alien was killed by his bullet. America cheered for his brother and moved towards the Canadian, not noticing the suddenly fearful looks on Russia and England's faces.

Canada turned towards his brother, his lips curving up into a smile when he saw the American. His mouth opened to call out a greeting, his hand half-raised in a wave...

The sound of a gunshot seemed to shatter the air, making Alfred freeze in place before he really knew why. His blue eyes were locked on his brothers, watching as Matthew's violet eyes widened in sudden pain before glancing down at the blood that was spreading across his chest from the single hole that had appeared just beside his heart.

America's scream was lost in the yells that came from Russia and England as Canada fell, his eyes closing in pain as death took over him. Switzerland glanced at his fallen comrade and hastily moved to cover the country, his gun aimed at the creature that had killed Canada.

"Someone get him out of here," the Swiss yelled.

"Arthur- no!" America yelled as England pushed past him.

The Englishman ignored him and ran to Canada's side, his arms reaching out to grab the boy just as an alien leaped past Switzerland's defenses, its dagger aimed at England's heart.

Arthur yelled in shock and knocked the alien's arm out of the way, his green eyes widening in shock and pain when the creature raised its other arm and buried a second knife in his side.

"Shit..." England growled, his knees buckling beneath him from the pain.

America's eyes narrowed at the sight of England's blood, a low growl of pure fury breaking through his lips. The American lunged for the alien, his hands crushing the creature's throat in a grip of steel. Switzerland swore and tried to pull America away, his blue-green eyes flashing in fear and anger.

"Leave him to me," Vash hissed in Alfred's ear. "You need to get Arthur and Matthew back to my house."

"I can't carry both of them," America growled, his hands falling reluctantly from the alien's neck moments before Switzerland slit the creature's throat with his knife.

Russia looked over his shoulder to where his other sister was trailing behind him, her knifes clutched tightly in her hands.

"Natalya," he whispered. "Help them."

Belarus stared at her brother in disbelief, her eyes darkening in a sudden wave of jealousy.

"It is the Canadian, isn't it?" she snarled. "How dare he catch your eyes when we-."

"This isn't the time, Natalya," Russia interrupted angrily. "Help them. Пожалуйста, " he added desperately. "Для меня."

Belarus glanced at her brother in surprise, her expression suddenly hesitant. Ivan had never asked her for a favor... he had always tried to take care of things himself. She knew that he would have done it himself now, if not for the fact that he held Ukraine in his arms.

"Give me Katyusha, brother," Belarus sighed in defeat, her arms held open for her unconscious older sibling. "Go and help America."

Russia gave his sister a grateful look and carefully lowered Ukraine into her arms before he ran to America's side, his purple eyes locked on Canada's limp form.

"Who do you want me to carry?" he demanded.

America glanced up at the Russian and hesitated. He knew he couldn't carry both Mattie and Arthur... but did he really want the communist touching either of them? It was bad enough Russia apparently liked his brother... no way in hell was he letting the Russian actually _carry_ Canada...

Then again, wouldn't it be worse if he had to watch Russia carry England?

"Take Mattie," America sighed in defeat. "But if you make any move on him, I'll kill you."

Russia nodded and scooped the Canadian into his arms, his eyes tightening when he saw the blood that now coated the front of Matthew's shirt.

"I'll follow behind and cover you until we reach the exit," Switzerland told them. "Then I'll turn back and get the fighters out. We'll meet up at my house."

America nodded in agreement and pulled England into his arms.

"Come on," he called over his shoulder at the others. "Vash is going to cover us."

"Vash?" Austria called softly, his brown eyes focusing on the Swiss from over Prussia's shoulder.

Switzerland met the Austrian's gaze for a moment, his eyes softening ever-so-slightly.

"Come on," Vash growled. "Get out of here."

Russia waited until his sisters had gone ahead of him with the Baltics before he followed with America, his eyes glancing in the direction of the fighting. He smirked when he caught sight of Germany slashing ruthlessly at the aliens around him with a large spear, remembering the times when he had faced the imposing German in battle. His smile faded when he looked back at the Canadian in his arms. Why had this country died? Why couldn't he have been killed instead of this boy?

Switzerland stopped at the exit and motioned for the other countries to go through, his eyes focused on the battle behind them.

"Get out of here, get to my house, and don't come back," he ordered sternly.

Austria glanced back at Switzerland, his hands pulling at Prussia's shoulders in an effort to stop the former nation.

"Vash..." he whispered. He hesitated for a moment, his brown eyes tightening. "Don't get hurt," he growled.

Switzerland smirked.

"Will you show your displeasure through music?" he asked sarcastically.

Austria's eyes narrowed.

"_Nein_," he muttered. "But I will take all of your money and spend it on expensive things."

"Okay, this really isn't the time," Prussia interrupted. "Go kick some ass, Switzy. The awesome me will look after your boyfriend."

Switzerland glared at the Prussian and turned back to the battle, his eyes meeting Austria's for another short moment before he leaped into the fray, his rifle resting against his shoulder as he opened fire.

**Hey! I'm back from the beach! Yeah, I suppose I should have updated my Twilight story first but I was in a Hetalia mood so...**

**Kind of a long chapter this time, haha. I wanted to get all of this into one chapter. Hope fully no one minds...**

**Thanks you guys so much for reading/reviewing this story! Please continue to review and tell me how I'm doing, okay? Or just review because you want to say something random like vodka... anything works!**

**I don't know if I'll be able to get another update for this story in this week... I'm probably going to get my wisdom teeth out this week, so I won't really be up to writing that much after. I'm going to try and update my other two stories before the surgery, though, so any of you who are reading them, don't worry.**

**Okay, that's about all I have to say for now. Sorry for the long rant... ;) I don't own Hetalia!**

**Translations:**

(Italian) Stare lontano da mio fratello, bastardo- Stay away from my brother, bastard

(German) Aufwiedersehn- Good-bye

(Italian) Fate attenzione, custode del mio cuore- Take care, guardian of my heart

(Italian) Grazie mille- Thank you very much

(Russian) Пожалуйста- Please

(Russian) Для меня- For me


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Rome stood by Italy's bedside, his head bowed in exhaustion and grief. Switzerland and Japan had both been in to see his grandson since Rome had returned from battle, and according Romano some of the other Asian nations had been in to see Feliciano before then.

Romano...

Rome raised his head to look across the bed at where his other grandson was huddled by his twin's bedside, his head buried in his hands. Lovino hadn't left his brother's side since he had arrived at Switzerland's house, not even when Rome and the other fighters had returned from battle. It had been Germania and Prussia who had met Rome and Germany the moment they returned, Germania who had told him where Feli was.

Lovino had done nothing but watch over Feliciano... even if it hadn't been enough.

"You can yell again, you know," Romano mumbled. Rome looked back at the Italian, his brow furrowed in confusion when he saw Lovino watching him. "I know you're still angry... You think it's my fault."

Rome sighed and ran his hand through his hair, his eyes flickering over to where Italy lay quietly on the bed. "You should have stopped him," the ancient country murmured.

"I tried to," Lovino sighed. "Feli is very determined when he sets his mind on something. I couldn't stop him when I tried, so I decided to follow him. To make sure that he was safe."

"And how did that work out?" Rome snapped, his temper flaring. "I'm not in the mood to listen to your excuses, Romano. Feliciano died on your watch."

"They're not excuses, Grandpa," Romano growled. "And Feli's not a child. He might act like one most of the time, but he's not. He's been through wars before. He can make his own decisions."

"He died!" Rome yelled, finally losing his temper. "Feliciano is dead because you couldn't stop him, because you were too worried about that Spaniard to even think about the safety of your fratello-"

"Don't you bring Spagna into this!" Lovino snapped. "He raised me and looked after me while you were prancing around with Germania convincing all of us that you were dead. You talk about me not looking after my own flesh and blood? At least I've been with him through everything."

"Oh, really?" the ancient empire sneered. "Everything? You may accuse me of abandoning little Feli, Romano, but I have visited him over the years. I protected him during the second World War. And I must say that I hardly ever saw you with him. Where were you?"

Romano froze, his jaw working. The Italian glanced down at his fallen twin, his yellow eyes filling with tears. Rome felt his anger fade at the sight, guilt and remorse taking its place.

"Lovino-" he began.

Romano stood up abruptly, cutting off his grandfather's words. He walked away from the bed and paused once at the door to the bedroom, his head bowed.

"Figures you would only look after Feli," he muttered. "You always did like him better... You even took him with you, while you left me behind. You've always left me behind, haven't you Grandpa?"

"Lovi-" Rome tried again.

"I need some air," Lovino interrupted. The Italian stalked out of the room, shoving past the three countries that had gathered on the other side of the door.

Rome winced at the sight of Germania and Prussia, his eyes narrowing slightly when he saw Spain and Hungary standing beside Prussia.

"What do you three want?" the ancient empire asked wearily.

Germania only shook his head, his blue eyes disappointed. Spain wasn't so quiet.

"Bastard," the Spaniard hissed. "How dare you say those things to Lovi?"

"Don't stick your nose in things that aren't your business, boy," Rome snapped. "What happened between myself and Romano is a family matter."

"I am his family!" Spain yelled. The Spaniard took a step towards Rome, only to be held back by Prussia. "And Hungary and Austria are Feliciano's," Antonio continued, apparently oblivious to Prussia's restraints. "We watched over the brothers, we raised them when you weren't here. We took care of them; we know them! And you dare to think that you know them better than we do?"

"I-" Rome started, only to be cut off once more, this time by the Hungarian woman.

"Any one of us could have told you that Feli would have gone to help when he realized that he had set off the alarm," she said coolly. "He may be a horrible coward, but Italy has a deep sense of responsibility. When it really comes down to it, both of the Italies will fight for their own. Feli was fighting to protect you, Germania, and Germany."

"And Lovino was fighting for his brother," Spain added.

"I don't have to listen to this," Rome growled. "You can't tell me about my grandsons-"

"There are many things that you don't know about them," Prussia muttered, speaking for the first time since he entered the room. "My bruder could tell you hundreds of things about Feli and his brother, as could that Austrian prick and Hungary... Even France and I could tell you a few stories. Face it, Rome, you don't know them as well as you like to think."

Rome sighed and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders slumped.

"I know," he mumbled, his voice muffled by his hands. "I knew when I left them that I would miss so many things... But I've tried to protect my grandsons. That's all I've ever done-"

"You've protected Feli," Spain interrutped harshly, his emerald eyes burning with fury. "Not Lovi. You might have saved Italy from battles in World War II, but you left Lovi to fend for himself. Where were you when Turkey tried to kidnap him, Señor Rome? Where were you when France attacked my country to get to him? Where were you when Austria tore little Lovi away from his brother and handed him over to me?"

Rome stared at the Spaniard, his mouth gaping open slightly. Spain snorted and turned away in disgust, his legs carrying him in the direction that Romano had fled. "I'm going to go and find Lovi."

Hungary sighed and touched Prussia's shoulder briefly before she also turned away.

"I'd better go and make sure that no one else needs my help," she murmured. "I'll be back later to see Italy."

Prussia nodded and glanced at Germania, who nodded. The ancient German walked over to where Rome sat and roughly hauled the Roman to his feet.

"Come on," Germania murmured. "You need to get some air."

Rome glanced up at Germania, his eyes pained. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

"_Ja_," his companion admitted truthfully. "But that is the good thing about being countries, isn't it? We always have the chance to make things better."

"How?" Rome asked brokenly, his eyes locked on the place where Romano had disappeared from his sight. "I didn't realize how much I was neglecting Lovino," he muttered. "I thought that he would be alright on his own... He was always the strongest. I thought that Feli needed me more..."

"Maybe you should explain that to him, then," Germania suggested. "After you both calm down."

Rome sighed in defeat and allowed the ancient German to lead him out of the room, his eyes flickering back to Feliciano.

"Feli-," he began.

"Gilbert will watch him," Germania said quickly. "Come on, Roma."

Prussia waited until the two ancient countries had left the room before he looked down at Feliciano, his red eyes narrowing when he saw the slight rise and fall of Italy's chest.

"How long are you going to pretend to be asleep, kid?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

Italy's eyes fluttered open, a small smile flickering across his lips.

"Ve~ was it that obvious?" he asked sleepily.

"Well, _I_ knew, but then again I'm totally awesome," Prussia smirked. "I don't think anyone else noticed... except maybe Vati."

Feliciano nodded thoughtfully, his green eyes darkening when he looked at the door that both his brother and grandfather had disappeared through. "I didn't know that I would make them so worried," he murmured.

"You worried them before you even died, to tell you the truth," Gilbert muttered. "Rome was almost having a heart attack the entire time, and I've never seen West run so fast."

Italy shot up into a sitting position at the mention of Germany, his eyes wide. "Ve~ is Germany okay? He's safe?"

"_Ja_," Prussia assured him. "West is fine. He's worried sick about you and convinced that this mess is his fault, but he's fine."

Italy frowned, his eyes sweeping the room as if he expected Germany to jump out of a closet or something. "Where is he?"

Prussia hesitated, his red eyes hesitant beneath his white hair. Germany had told him not to do anything that would worry Italy... but, since when had he ever listened to his little brother?

"West is hanging out near Switzy's lake," he replied. "He... wanted to come and make sure that you were okay but... he thought that you would be angry at him."

Feliciano's frown deepened, his expression unusually thoughtful. "Help me up," he murmured after a moment.

Gilbert started and stared at the Italian, convinced that he had heard wrong. "Uh, what?"

"Help me up," Italy said again, his face determined. "I need to go and see Ludwig."

Prussia hesitated for a moment, not really sure what he should do. Italy shouldn't be moving yet, right? I mean, the kid had died less than twenty four hours ago. Prussia didn't want to get the Italian hurt... and he didn't want to face Germany and Hugary's fury if he did something wrong.

"If you don't help me, I'll go by myself," Italy said sweetly, guessing the Prussian's thoughts.

Gilbert chuckled and reached down to help the slender Italian out of bed, his hands pulling one of Italy's arms over his shoulder.

"I can't believe that West still thinks your so innocent," he muttered.

Italy smiled innocently at Prussia as the nation helped him out of the room, ignoring the pain that came with every movement. "Ve~ don't you think I'm innocent, Prussia?"

Prussia snorted. "Nope. Not at all."

It didn't take long for Antonio to find Lovino.

The older Italian had taken refuge in Switzerland's basically abandoned kitchen, his dark head nearly hidden behind the doors of the fridge as he searched for tomatoes. Spain paused in the entrance of the kitchen, remembering the times he had found Romano in his own kitchen after a particularly stressful day for Southern Italy. It broke his heart to see his little Lovi so upset...

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to help me look for tomatoes, bastard?" Lovino snapped, not looking up from his search in the fridge.

Antonio blinked in surprise and walked slowly forward, his eyes searching the back of Lovino's head as if it would tell him what to do.

"I'm sure Vash has tomatoes," he murmured soothingly, trying to asses the Italian's mood.

Romano snorted. "I don't see any," he muttered, his voice cracking slightly. "I don't see any fucking tomato... Stupid bastard, doesn't even have the decency to put tomatoes in here... But of course he has pasta... Everybody has pasta in case Feli comes over..."

Spain put a hand on Romano's shoulder, his heart aching when he felt the Italian tremble with suppressed sobs.

"Lovi..." he murmured. "_Mi querido Lovi... Est__á__ bien..._"

"No it's not," Lovino argued thickly. "I-I totally lost it in there, Tonio... Even when he's right and Feli is _dead_ I can't take it! Dammit, why do I always get so jealous of _mio fratello_?"

"No," Antonio whispered, his hand tightening on the Italian's shoulder. The Spaniard wound his other arm around the Italian's waist and gently pulled him away from the fridge, his foot lightly pushing the door of the fridge shut. "No, Lovino, you can't blame it all on yourself. Everyone understands you and Feliciano's relationship-"

"Everyone thinks I'm an ass," Romano interrupted. "And they're right... _Sono un asino a tutti_. No wonder they all like Feli better... He's so nice and sweet and all that crap..."

"I don't like Feliciano better," Spain said quietly.

Lovino stiffened and glanced over his shoulder, his yellow eyes vulnerable.

"I don't see how you can't," he muttered. "I treat you like shit, Spagna, and we both know it."

"But you love me," Antonio whispered, his voice awed. "You've taken care of me when no one else did, and when everything falls apart you've always been there for me. Feli is sweet, but he is not _mi amor_. _Yo s__ó__lo te quiero_," he murmured in the Italian's ear, his voice husky with emotion.

Romano blushed furiously, failing to hide the smile that flickered across his lips at the older country's words. "You mean it?" he murmured.

Spain smiled wryly and pulled the Italian around to face him, his hand reaching up to gently tug at Romano's curl as he pressed his lips against the Italian's. "_Si_... _Te amo_, Lovi," he gasped against the younger country's lips.

Lovino moaned and leaned into the Spaniard, his hands resting against Spain's chest, his lips moving in sync with Antonio's. Spain smiled and pulled Romano onto the floor with him,his leg moving up between the Italian's thighs. Romano gasped, allowing Spain's tongue entrance into his mouth. The Italian shivered in longing and pressed himself flush against the Spaniard, his hands going to the top button on Spain's shirt...

"Honhonhon~ Way to go, Antoine! I must say, I didn't think that you had it in you."

Spain felt Romano stiffen, a low sigh breaking through the Spaniard's lips when he saw the furious flush creeping up the Italian's cheeks. Antonio sighed and braced himself for the stream of Italian curses that he knew was going to come.

Lovino didn't disappoint.

**Hey! Yep, I decided to put some fluff in here! Don't worry, there will be plenty more to come in the next few... I'm thinking some GerIta, USUK, and RusCan... heeheeeheee. Oh, and for all you Rome fans out there, sorry I made him act like a bit of a jerk in this chapter. Please don't attack me!**

**I'll try and update again soon, okay? In the meantime... Review! Please? (thanks to everyone who's read/reviewed so far, you guys make me smile!)**

**Translations:**

(Spanish) Mi querido Lovi... Está bien..- My dear Lovi... It's okay

(Italian) Mio fratello- My brother

(Italian) Sono un asino a tutti- I'm an ass to everybody

(Spanish) Mi amor- My love

(Spanish) Yo sólo te quiero- I only love you

(Spanish) Te amo- I love you


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Liechtenstein found her big brother in Austria's room, his brow furrowed as he gazed down at the sleeping Austrian.

"Big brother?" the young country called hesitantly, causing Switzerland to jump and whirl around to face her.

"Liechtenstein," the Swiss muttered, his sea-green eyes relieved when he saw his sister. "What are you doing here? Weren't you watching over the Nordics with Sweden?"

Liechtenstein smiled slightly at the mention of the insane Nordics and nodded. "Yes... but they all seem better, now. Sweden has been taking very good care of Finland, and Norway is well enough to yell at Denmark for being too clingy, and Iceland..." Here the girl's voice trailed off, a faint blush creeping up into her cheeks when she thought of the stoic boy who had held her hand on the way home.

Vash nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing when he saw Lila's expression. Damn, did she have a crush on that one Scandinavian kid? Well, at least it wasn't Denmark... Still, he would have to talk to Iceland later on to make sure he didn't hurt Switzerland's little sister...

"You should go and help the Asians and Hungary," he said quietly, his eyes returning to the sleeping Austrian. "Make sure that everyone else is alright."

Liechtenstein nodded. "I was on my way to check on England's siblings, actually, but I figured that I would make sure that you were okay as well."

Switzerland blinked, surprised as always by his sister's devotion. "Thank you, Lila, but I'm fine. Really."

"Yes, I can see that," the small country murmured, slightly smug. She hesitated for a moment, her eyes cautious. "Did you... tell him yet?"

Switzerland blushed and shook his head furiously, trying to appear angry at the thought. "What? N-no! What- what an odd question, Liechtenstein!"

Lila smiled knowingly and turned to leave, her voice whispering through the room just before she closed the door. "Well, you should tell him soon... before Elizaveta decides to take matters into her own hands."

Vash shuddered at the mention of the Hungarian woman's obsession with yaoi (he still hadn't forgiven her for that yaoi anime that she showed to Liechtenstein...). The Swiss sighed and stood up from the chair that he had been occupying by Austria's bedside, his eyes locked warily on the dark-haired country.

"You had better be asleep," he mumbled furiously before he bent his head over the Austrian, his lips making tentative contact with Roderich's cool forehead.

"Sleep well, Roderich," Vash sighed, his eyes unusually soft as he gazed down at the other man.

And, for a brief moment before he turned and hurried out of the room, the Swiss could have sworn that the other country was smiling.

"Ugh, why the hell are you so heavy, Feli?"

"Ve~! That's a mean comment, Prussia," Italy retorted, his lips jutting out in a small pout. "Germany didn't complain..."

"You know what, I really don't want to know why West was carrying you..."

Prussia frowned as he continued to help the Italian towards Switzerland's lake, his red eyes combing the surrounding area for any sign of his brother. Damn, had Germany lied to him just in case the Prussian had told Italy? That would be so unawesome... especially since Prussia had just hauled Italy's ass across most of Switzerland's house to get the smaller nation there. Wait.

"I see him," Prussia grunted with relief. "He's a few feet ahead, sitting under that tree."

Italy squinted to get a good look, his green eyes easily finding Germany's blonde head amongst the green and brown of the trees. The Italian paused for a moment and bit his lip, his gaze locked on the larger country. "Ve... I think I can walk the rest of the way on my own."

Gilbert hesitated, his common sense screaming at him not to let Feliciano walk alone in his condition. Then again, when had someone so awesome ever needed to listen to common sense? The albino nodded in defeat and removed his arms from Italy's waist and shoulders, his red eyes watching the Italian carefully as he made his way to Germany. Prussia waited until Italy was a few feet away from his brother before he hastily ducked behind a nearby bush, his gaze still locked on the pair.

Ignorant of his audience, Italy continued to slowly make his way to Germany, his jaw clenched as he tried to concentrate on not falling. He paused when he was only a foot or two away from the German, suddenly hesitant. Why hadn't Germany looked up or acknowledged him yet? Was the other country sleeping? Or did he really not want to see him?

"Ve... Ludwig?"

Germany's head snapped up at the sound of the Italian's voice, his clear blue eyes widening when he saw Italy standing before him, several bandages still wrapped around his head and torso. The German's mouth opened and closed several times as he stared at the other country, unable to form the words that were struggling to break from his lips.

"You shouldn't be walking around yet, Feliciano," he said finally, his eyes tightening slightly in disappointment. That wasn't what he had wanted to say...

"Ve," Italy sighed, also disappointed. "But you weren't in my room, and I had to see you!"

"_Was_?" Germany croaked, shock making its way into his tone. "But... you are not angry with me?"

"Why would I be angry?" Italy asked, his head tilted slightly to the side in confusion.

Germany blushed and glanced down at the hands that were folded in his lap, his mouth working to get the words out.

"Because... I am the reason that you got killed," he mumbled, his voice pained. "You... wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me."

The German stiffened in surprise when Italy knelt in front of him, his slim hands wrapping gently around Germany's own. Feliciano smiled up at Ludwig, his green eyes sad.

"It wasn't your fault," he murmured. "I set off the alarm that started the fight. And... I don't mind that I went with the others to save you. It gave me a chance to keep our promise, remember? Since you always saved me..." The Italian paused for a moment and leaned forward, his eyes locked intently on the German's. "I wanted to save you, Ludwig," he whispered, his voice soft. "I want to show you how brave I can be... I want you to know how much I love you."

Germany froze, his mouth falling open in shock. For a long moment, he merely stared at the Italian that he had been so convinced would hate him, the Italian who had now confessed his love for him. Then he smiled, the first true smile that had graced his lips since the whole alien fiasco began. Ludwig reached out and wrapped his arms around Feliciano, drawing the smaller man against his chest in a tight embrace. Feliciano smiled and pressed his face into the German's neck, his thin arms reaching up to wrap themselves around Ludwig's shoulders.

"_Ti amo_, Ludwig," the Italian sighed.

Germany's arms tightened slightly and he drew away, his lips pressing tentatively against the Italian's cheek as he did so.

"_Ich liebe dich_, Feliciano," he whispered, his blue eyes locked on green.

Italy smiled and pulled Germany in for a another kiss, his lips somehow missing the German's cheek as they collided with his lips...

Prussia chuckled as he watched his brother and Italy make-out, his red eyes burning with happiness for his brother. Good, West had finally got that stick out of his ass and could now enjoy life a little... Now, if only Prussia could be so lucky with a certain Hungarian...

"Enjoying the view, Gil?" a cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts, causing Prussia to jump scratch his cheek against several twigs that had decided to poke out of the bush.

"Oh... H-hey Liz," Gilbert whispered, ignoring the way his cheeks reddened at the sight of the brunette crouched over on the ground beside him, her loose white blouse and tight-fitting brown pants perfectly complimenting that amazing body...

"You spying on little Feli and Ludwig, too?" Hungary asked, breaking Prussia out of his thoughts.

Prussia nodded sheepishly, noting the gleam in the Hungarian's green eyes. "I take it you figured out where I was taking him, then," he muttered.

Hungary rolled her eyes and winked playfully at her friend. "Please, I can smell yaoi a mile away!"

Gilbert chuckled and shook his head. "Same old Liz," he muttered.

Elizaveta glanced at him, her light green eyes thoughtful beneath her brown hair.

"Gil..." she murmured. "You didn't just go in the place for your brother, did you?"

Prussia felt his cheeks burn and looked away, his jaw working.

"_Nein_," he muttered. "It wasn't just for West... You were there too... Well, and Roddy, of course."

Hungary snorted and nodded, seeming pleased. "Wow, Roderich will be flattered that you care about him so much."

Prussia smiled, still not quite able to look at the Hungarian woman. Birdie had told him to tell Liz about his feelings but... Somehow, he couldn't get the words out.

And that was so unawesome.

Russia leaned over Canada's bed, his brow furrowing when the Canadian continued to remain unconscious. Why was the country taking so long to wake up?

"M-Mr. Russia, you shouldn't glare at him like that," Switzerland's sister said timidly. "I-It's kind of creepy, actually."

Russia glanced over at the girl that had come into the room a few minutes ago to check on Canada, an innocent smile curving his lips.

"My apologies," he said sweetly. "I will try and be more patient, da?"  
>Liechtenstein nodded, trying to ignore the shiver that ran up her spine at the sight of the Russian's smile. Big brother had been right... The Russian <em>was<em> creepy.

"He should be waking up soon," she muttered. "Do you want me to go and get France and America?"

Russia frowned and nodded reluctantly. He didn't really want the other two countries coming in here; they would only force him to leave before he got to talk to Matvey... And, besides, he really wanted to stay by the Canadian's side for some reason.

Liechtenstein offered him a timid smile and hurried out of the room, her light footsteps fading into the distance as she went to find Canada's relatives. Russia caught himself hoping that she didn't find France first. He didn't think that Switzerland would take it well if his sister was molested in his own home.

A soft moan came from the bed that Russia was sitting next to, immediately drawing the Russian's attention to Canada as the blonde country stirred, his violet eyes fluttering open slowly. Canada groaned again and cautiously sat up, his hand reaching up to brush against the bandage that was wrapped around his chest.

"_Merde_," Matthew muttered. "I died..."

"Da."

Canada jumped and slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice, his mauve eyes widening when he saw the Russian sitting beside his bed.

"R-Russia," he stammered, shocked.

"Добро пожаловать обратно," Russia greeted cheerfully. "You have been asleep for a while now, Matvey. We were worried."

"You were-? But why?" Matthew muttered, still slightly groggy. "I was only dead, it happens to us all the time. We're nations, we come back."

Ivan smiled and shook his head.

"That doesn't stop us from worrying," he murmured. "No one ever wants to see someone they care about be killed, even if it is almost certain that they will come back. There is still pain, da? It is hard to see people close to you in pain... That is why we worry, Matvey. We worry for what you go through."

Matthew stared at the Russian, wondering if he was imagining things. Since when had Russia cared so much about him? And... since when had he enjoyed having the taller country notice and watch over him?  
>"Where's Al?" he asked, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. "And Arthur... Are they both alright? What about Papa?"<p>

Russia frowned, not exactly pleased at the change of subject. Had he said something wrong? He had been trying to be good... "America and France are well. England was shot trying to help you, and he died on the way here. America has been going in between your rooms, while France was... sort of exiled from here until you woke up since he get bothering the countries that came in to check on you."

Canada sighed and rolled his eyes. That was so typical of France...

"France was worried about you, da?" Russia added, sensing the direction of the Canadian's thoughts. "I think it was his way of dealing..."

Canada blinked in surprise at the Russian's understanding and stared at the other country in shock. "Um... _Merci_?" he muttered. His brow furrowed when he remembered what else Russia had said, his eyes darkening. "England died for me? I didn't want-"

"I don't think England minded dying for you, Matvey," Russia interrupted. "You were always there for him, it is time he returned the favor, da?"

Matthew nodded slowly. "So.. why are you here?"

Ivan hesitated, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "I... wanted to make sure that you were well. Since America and the others weren't here, and I didn't want you to be alone..." The Russian's voice trailed off, his blush deepening.

Matthew stared at him for a moment, confused and slightly flattered. "Thank you," he murmured. "For not forgetting about me."

Russia nodded, seeming pleased. "You did not forget about me, da? It was time I returned the favor!"

Canada smiled tentatively, his arms tightening around his chest. He frowned when he remembered that Kumajiro wasn't with him and looked around for the bear, his eyes softening when he saw the polar bear curled up in a far corner of the room. Russia followed his gaze and smirked, his hand rubbing absently at his wrist.

"That is a very fierce animal," Russia murmured. "He tried to bite me when I first came in here."

"_Oui_," Canada laughed, feeling guilty. "He does that when he thinks either of us is threatened... How did you get him to stop attacking?"

"Uh... I gave him fish?" The Russian answered tentatively, looking worried. "He asked for some so... that was the right thing to do, da?"

"Yeah." Canada was really laughing now, amused by the expression on the other country's face. "I think you might become Kumakichi's new favorite if you keep it up."

Russia grinned, his smile fading when he heard footsteps coming towards the room. Liechtenstein poked her head through the door, her sea-green eyes widening slightly when she saw the two countries talking.

"Oh, you're awake now," she said quietly, a shy smile flickering across her features. "That is good! France and America are on their way, although France ran into some trouble with one of the Italians..."

Canada snorted. Of course.

"Anyways, they'll be here soon," she murmured. "So..."

"I will leave then," Russia sighed, catching the smaller girl's hint. The Russian turned and started to exit the room, only to pause in the doorway and look back at the Canadian. "Perhaps, when this is over, we will see each other again, da?" he asked shyly.

"_Oui_," Canada replied without hesitation. "We should do that."

Russia smiled and exited the room, leaving Canada with Liechtenstein for a moment.

The girl smiled shyly at the other country again. "You know... I think he likes you," she whispered.

Canada nodded, his face reddening.

"Yeah," he murmured. "I think I like him, too."

**Hey! Because of the amazing amount of reviews I got for the last chapter (well, amazing for me, haha), and because I'm sort of freaking out today (remember those pesky wisdom teeth that needed to be taken out last week? Yeah, they changed the operation to today at noon... Life sucks, doesn't it?), I decided to put up this new chapter! Haha, well, whatever works, right?**

**Anyways, so, please review, okay? It'll really make me happy after I get these bloody teeth cut out (haha, no pun intended...). Also, thanks to everyone who read/reviewed this story so far! You guys are nearly as awesome as Prussia!**

**And... I don't own Hetalia. There would be a lot more pairings and fluff if I did...**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"_Mon ami_, could you please- ack, don't strangle me!" France croaked, trying to speak around the hands that were fastened around his throat.

"Shut up," Romano hissed, his hands tightening around the Frenchman. "Fucking wine bastard..."

"Lovi~!" Spain pleaded, his hands pulling uselessly at the Italian's shoulders as he tried to pull Romano off of France. "Please don't kill Francis! He said that he was sorry!"

"_O-oui_!" Francis choked. "_Je suis désolé, je suis vraiment désolé! S'il vous plaît ne me tuez pas!_"

"Shut _up_ wine bastard!" Lovino snarled.

"What's going on here?" Germania called from the kitchen doorway, his tone flat.

Romano and Spain looked up from the Frenchman being strangled on the floor, their eyes widening slightly when they saw Rome and Germania watching them with interest.

"_Nonno_," Romano groaned. The Italian released France and hastily backed away, his mouth tightening.

"Hello, Lovino," Rome greeted him tentatively, his hazel eyes still locked on the fallen Frenchman in confusion. "Exactly why were you attempting to kill France?"

"He, uh..." Lovino's voice trailed off and his face reddened, his yellow eyes flickering towards Spain. Spain coughed uncomfortably and glanced down at his feet.

Rome glanced between the two, his expression slowly brightening in understanding. The Roman chuckled and playfully elbowed Germania in the side, ignoring the glare that the ancient German sent his way.

"Well well well," Rome chortled. "I should have known that this would happen. Way to go Lovino!"

Romano stared at his grandfather in shock, his already red face deepening to an impressive scarlet.

"But... that doesn't really explain why you were trying to kill France," Rome continued, oblivious to his grandson's embarrassment.

"Honhonhon~," France chuckled. The Frenchman slowly straightened into a sitting position, his hands running through his slightly tangled blonde hair. "I couldn't resist commenting," he explained hoarsely. "_Espagne_ was so cute bent over _peu d'Italie du sud_... Ah, such chemistry between those two, it is so fascinating to watch-"

France's words were abruptly cut off when two fists collided with his chin, knocking the country unconscious onto the floor. Romano and Rome both glanced at each other, their fists still drawn back in case France required another blow.

"Good punch, Lovino," Rome said appreciatively.

Romano blushed, slightly pleased, and slowly drew back his fist, his muscles relaxing.

"You... sound calmer," Rome added hesitantly.

"You do too," Lovino muttered warily.

"Yeah..." The Roman paused and glanced over at Spain, who was watching the two intently. "Your Spaniard set me straight... Along with several other countries," he added, his eyes flickering back towards Germania, who was still standing calmly in the doorway. "I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you, Lovino. It's not because I loved you less than Feli, it's just... I always thought that you were the strongest, the grandson who was the most like me in my younger days. I took care of Feli believing that you could take care of yourself, that you didn't need me. I never dreamed that you would think that I had abandoned you or that I was neglecting you." Rome stopped and looked up at Romano, his eyes pleading. "I'm sorry for hurting you, _mio nipote caro_," he whispered. "Can you forgive me?"

Lovino was silent for a moment, his yellow eyes studying his grandfather carefully. After a long moment, the Italian smiled cautiously.

"Si," he muttered. "I... forgive you, _nonno_. And I'm... sorry. For being an ass."

"Don't worry, Rome is used to it," Germania spoke up. "He was an ass in his early days as well. You should have seen the he yelled at me when I interrupted his date with Ancient Greece..."

"Okay!" Rome interrupted hastily, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "Okay, that's enough explanation."

"Um, excuse me?" a tiny voice called from behind Germania. The countries that were still conscious turned towards the sound, their eyes going immediately to the small blonde-haired girl standing behind the ancient German.

"S-sorry to interrupt," Liechtenstein mumbled, her face reddening at having so much attention focused on her. "B-but I was wondering where France was? Canada is going to wake up soon, and I'm sure Mr. France would like to be there."

"Uh..." Rome and Romano both glanced down at the unconscious country, their expressions guilty.

"Francis will be along shortly," Spain told Liechtenstein cheerfully. "He just got into a little trouble." The Spaniard chuckled and glanced down at France again, his green eyes gleaming triumphantly.

"O-okay," Liechtenstein muttered, her eyes widening nervously. "J-just tell him to go to Canada's room when he wakes up, alright?"

"We will," Germania assured her, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Liechtenstein flashed him a shy smile and hurried out of the kitchen, leaving the four countries to wait for France to wake up.

"So," Spain muttered, his cheerful voice breaking the silence. "What happened between Rome and Ancient Greece?"

Antonio chuckled as the two Italians turned on him and hastily ducked out of the room, his hands raised in surrender.

"_Lo siento_!" he called, his voice shaking with laughter. "I'll see you later, _mi tomatito_!"

"Stupid tomato bastard," Romano muttered.

"I like him," Rome mused. "Although he's not as much fun to mess with as Germania's grandson."

Germania only frowned at the Roman, resisting the urge to attack his old friend. One unconscious country was bad enough...

"M-mr. America?"

America looked up from his place by England's bedside, his blue eyes tired behind Texas.

"Hey," he greeted hoarsely, a weary smile making its way onto his lips. "What's up, Liechtenstein?"

Switzerland's sister smiled back at him shyly, her thin hands fidgeting with the edge of her t-shirt.

"Hi," she mumbled. "Um, sorry to bother you, but your brother... He's going to be waking up soon."

America nodded and stood up. He grimaced when the movement sent a slight spasm of pain through his stiff muscles and stretched, his eyes locked on England.

"When will he wake up?" he asked, gesturing towards the unconscious country.

Liechtenstein hesitated and followed America's gaze, her brow furrowing.

"I'm not sure," she murmured. "I could... get one of his siblings to check on him while you're gone?" she suggested hesitantly.

America nodded reluctantly and walked towards the doorway. He gently ruffled the small girl's hair on his way out and flashed her another small smile.

"Thanks, kid," he muttered. "Go make sure Mattie's still doing okay. I"ll be right over."

Liechtenstein nodded and left the room. America waited until she was half-way down the hall before he turned back to England. Alfred stared down at his former guardian for a long moment, his cerulean eyes soft.

"I'll be back soon, Arthur," he murmured. The American bent to press a quick kiss to the Brit's forehead, his cheeks flushing with pleasure and embarrassment. "Don't go anywhere, kay?"

England made no reply.

"So... you sure you're doing okay, bro?" Alfred asked for what must have been the hundredth time in ten minutes, his eyes narrowed in concern. "You really had us all worried."

Matthew chuckled at his brother's concern and nodded, slightly pleased by the attention.

"Yeah, Al," he assured the American. "I'm fine."

America nodded in satisfaction and reached over to adjust Canada's pillows, only to hastily retract his hand when Kumajiro glared at him from his place next to Canada's head.

"Okay, seriously, why does that bear of yours hate me so much?" America demanded, his lips set in a pout.

"Probably because you tried to force feed him hamburgers last Christmas, remember?" Canada reminded him, a small smile making its way onto his lips.

"Oh yeah..." Alfred winced at the memory of the polar bear's displeasure.

"Maybe you should try giving him fish like Ivan did," Matthew suggested. "Kumakino didn't try and bite him after that."

"Ivan?" Alfred repeated, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Canada blushed. "I mean.. Russia. He was in here, you know, when I woke up."

"Yeah, I know," America sighed. Damn that communist... making a move on his little brother. Alfred sighed again and ran a hand through his golden hair, his baby blue eyes closing in frustration. Should he tell Matthew that he didn't want him around that Russian bastard? Then again, it wasn't really his call, right? Canada was his own country, he could make his own decisions... Even if the decision happened to involve a creepy ass Russian.

"You know, Russia was really worried about you," America muttered. "And... he heard you. When the aliens lured us into the trap, he heard you calling his name so... I guess he cares."

Canada stared at his brother, his violet eyes widening in shock. "Al... did you just say something good about Russia?"

Alfred blushed furiously and nodded reluctantly. "Well, I mean, you seem to sort of like him... and I still think that the bastard is a creepy commie but... You know, if you want to... do anything, just... I'll back you up, okay?"

Matthew nodded and smiled gratefully at his brother.

"Thanks," he murmured. After a moment, he added. "You know, I would be there for you, too. If you ever decided to tell Arthur how you felt."

America's blush deepened to an impressive dark red color, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly like a fish.

"I- I don't think that- Iggy doesn't-," he stammered.

"Al," Canada interrupted, his expression impatient. "I saw how England looked when you went missing. I talked to him before we found you. Trust me, he loves you just as much as you love him. All you need to do is talk to him about it."

"You think so?" America muttered hopefully.

Canada nodded, a grimace flickering across his expression when he heard France's voice outside of the door. "I think Papa is coming to see me."

America groaned and stood up, his expression suddenly wary.

"Yeah, I think that's my cue to leave," he chuckled. "Sorry Mattie, but France creeps me out, and I'm still pissed at him for trying to molest Iggy all those times."

"Get out of here, Al," Canada laughed. "Make sure Arthur's okay, alright? Tell him I'll be in to see him once I've got my strength back."

"Take care of yourself, Matt!" Alfred called over his shoulder, his legs already carrying him out of the room as France's voice got closer.

Canada rolled his eyes at his brother's behavior and settled back onto the bed, bracing himself to deal with the Frenchman that he called his father.

England groaned and slowly opened his eyes, a low hiss escaping his throat when the light from a nearby window pierced through his parted eyelids.

"Bloody hell," he moaned. "That hurts."

Someone chuckled nearby, making the Englishman tense.

"Good to see ye're doin' well, Artie," a voice with a thick Scottish accent muttered.

England's eyes flew open and he sat up in bed, his mouth falling open in shock when he saw his siblings gathered around his bed, their green eyes locked on him with concern.

"Hey, Arthur," Wales greeted him quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, William, thank you," Arthur muttered, still confused by the presence of his siblings. "What are you-?" The Brit broke off with a yell as Scotland smacked him over the top of the head, his emerald eyes flashing furiously at the Scotsman. "What the hell was that for, James?"

"I told ye I'd kill ye if ye got yerself killed," James said smugly. "Take better care of yerself next time, why don't ye?" Scotland started to laugh, only to growl when Ireland and Northern Ireland both punched him in the arm. "Dammit ye two!"

"Don't punch Arthur when he just woke up!" Ireland snapped, her eyes flashing furiously beneath her long red hair.

"Yeah, he was dead, like, two minutes ago!" Northern Ireland added.

"That doesn't mean that ye can bloody punch me, ye gits!" James yelled.

"Ya had it coming!" Sean yelled back. Aofie nodded behind him, her expression smug.

England groaned and settled back onto his bed, already feeling a headache coming on. He just couldn't get a break, could he?"

Wales chuckled and patted his brother gently on the top of his head. "Sorry about this, Arthur," William muttered. "But we were worried, you know? Even if our siblings suck at showing it..."

Arthur smiled up at his brother and shook his head wryly. "Yes, I understand." The Brit frowned as a new thought occurred to him. "Are Alfred and Matthew doing well? I remember that Matthew was killed... That was how I was shot, you know. I was trying to get him out of there before another alien could shoot him. What happened? Did anyone else get hurt?"

"From what we heard, America got ye out of there, while that Russian carried whatever the other kid's name was," Scotland broke in, his voice slightly muffled by the arm that Northern Ireland had wrapped around his neck in a choke hold. "As far as we know, no one was seriously hurt after ye were shot."

England nodded and sighed with relief. Good, America hadn't been hurt then... But, where was he?

"Word came that Canada was going to wake up soon, so America went to check on his brother," Ireland spoke up, guessing her brother's thoughts.

"Ah... I see," England murmured, trying to hide his disappointment. Of course, Alfred had every right to go and check on Matthew... The two were brothers, after all. Still, he couldn't deny that he had been hoping to see the annoying American when he woke up... Just to make sure that he wasn't hurt, of course. Arthur didn't miss Alfred's presence or anything...

"You know, he was with you almost the whole time that you were out," Northern Ireland commented quietly, his death-grip finally loosening from Scotland's neck when he saw the look on England's face. "We all came in, of course, but some other countries needed help so we weren't here the whole time. America kept going in between your room and Canada's ever since he got here. He even let Russia watch over Canada so that he could stay with you more."

Arthur stared at his siblings in surprise. Alfred had really been with him that much? Did that mean that the American actually cared?

"Hey!" America's voice called from out in the hallway, causing the five siblings to jump at the sound. "What the hell, Belarus? I'm not Canada! Whoa, dude, this is odd... No! I do not want to help you make Russia marry you! Damn, I never thought that I'd feel bad for that communist bastard... Oh thank God, Russia. Can you help me out? Your sister- Hey, why are you running away? You son of a bitch! I even put in a good word for you with Mattie!"

There was the sound of running footsteps and a furious screech from Belarus a few feet away before America burst into the room, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Oh, hey guys," he greeted breathlessly when he saw England's siblings gathered around his bed. "Dude, you would _not_ believe what just happened to me... Belarus is so creepy, man... Hey, is Arthur awake yet?"

Ireland exchanged a mischievous glance with her twin. The two jumped up and dragged Wales and Scotland out of the room, ignoring the protests from their siblings.

"We'll be in ta see ya later, Artie!" Aoife called over her shoulder.

"Now get ta talking, ya idiots," Sean added gleefully.

America stared after the four siblings as they pushed past him out of the room and slammed the door in his face. He turned slowly to face the Englishman who was watching him with curious emerald eyes, his face reddening under Arthur's intense gaze.

"Oh... h-hey Artie," America mumbled. "Good to see you're okay..."

"Yeah..." England muttered. The Brit cleared his throat and glanced uncomfortably at the hands that were folded on top of his sheets. "How is Matthew?"

"Fine," Alfred replied. "He's fine... He told me to tell you that he'd be in to check on you once he gets his strength back."

Arthur frowned. "He shouldn't worry about me... I'll be up and about in no time."

"Yeah, well, you know Matt," Alfred laughed. "Always worrying about everyone else..."

"Yes... Indeed." England blushed at the memory of Canada's conversation with him. Dammit, what was he going to do? He had promised Canada that he would tell America after everything was over... But, was it really over? The aliens could come back any minute... Then again, that was even more of a reason for him to tell Alfred now, in case something happened...

"Hey, Arthur-"

"Get over here," England interrupted.

America blinked and stared at the other country for a moment, his expression confused.

"Uh... what?" he asked.

"Get. Over. Here," England repeated. "Now, you bloody wanker."

Alfred walked warily to the Englishman's side, still slightly confused.

"Closer," Arthur growled.

America hesitated and sat gingerly on the side of the bed, his brow furrowed.

"What-?" he began.

"Shut up," England broke in. Without another word, the Brit reached up and grabbed America's arm. He pulled the younger country down and pressed his lips against the American's, ignoring the surprised gasp that broke through Alfred's lips.

Arthur broke away after a few moments, panic slowly rising in his chest. Alfred hadn't done anything... He hadn't reacted at all, and he was just staring at him and Matthew was wrong and it was all that bloody frog's fault-

Alfred was kissing him.

England blinked and stared at the American whose lips were now pressing against his own. He returned the gesture after a shocked moment, his lips moving easily against America's. Alfred sighed against Arthur's lips, causing the Brit to shiver with longing and wrap his arms around the American's neck, his fingers burying themselves in Alfred's perfect hair.

This time, it was America who pulled away, his lips tinged with red from the kissing, his cheeks flushing a delicate pink.

"Whoa," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "That was even better than I thought it would be." He grinned suddenly and reached out to tuck an errant strand of England's messy hair behind his ear. "I never knew you had it in you, Arthur," he murmured.

"S-shut up, you bloody wanker," England snapped, his face red. "And who bloody gave you permission to stop kissing me?"

Alfred only smiled and moved closer again, his lips pausing just inches away from Arthur's.

"I love you," he whispered.

**Haha! Finally! Yes, after making all of you wait, I have finally delivered the necessary USUK fluff! Well, I hope I did... Please don't kill me if I got it wrong!**

**Anyways, thanks to all the people who reviewed! As you can see, I'm recovering from those awful wisdom teeth (although I still can't really eat anything hard or chewy... which really sucks, when you think about it...). Also, school will be starting on Friday (why my school decided to have our first day on a Friday, I have no idea...), so if the updates start coming slower, please be patient with me! This year is going to be a busy one, so I need you guys to be patient, okay?**

**Please review and tell me what you think! Or yell vodka at me and then quote a random line from your favorite Hetalia character! (I don't care which, haha). Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed so far! And I do not own Hetalia!**

**Translations:**

(French) Je suis désolé, je suis vraiment désolé! S'il vous plaît ne me tuez pas!- I'm sorry, I'm very sorry! Please don't kill me!

(Italian) Nonno- Grandpa

(French) Espagne- Spain

(French) peu d'Italie du sud- little Southern Italy

(Italian) mio niponte caro- my dear grandson

(Spanish) Lo siento- I'm sorry


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Lila?"

Liechtenstein jumped and looked away from the Austrian that her brother had asked her to watch, her cheeks reddening when she saw Iceland standing impassively in the doorway.

"Oh... H-hey Emil," she greeted quietly. "What are you doing here? You should be resting..."

A small smile flickered across the Nordic's lips. "You sound like my brother... I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"Me?" Lila whispered, hating the way her voice squeaked. Why couldn't she be confident and brave like Hungary or Ireland?

"Yes," Emil replied simply. He walked away from the doorway and sat in the chair beside Lila's, his indigo eyes softening slightly as he watched the petite girl. "You left and didn't come back, so I decided to look for you. You know... In case something bad happened to you."

Liechtenstein flushed with pleasure and reached tentatively for the other nation's hand, a small smile curving her lips when Iceland returned the gesture.

"Emil, I-," she began, only to be cut off abruptly by a loud siren that suddenly shattered the silence. The two young nations leapt out of their seats and ran out of the room, nearly running into England's siblings and the Asians as they exited the rooms with the weaker nations.

"What's going on, aru?" China demanded, his dark eyes narrowed with concern.

"Vash's alarm only sounds when someone has broken onto the property," Liechtenstein explained quickly, her aqua eyes wide with panic. "The aliens must not be affected by the barrier..."

"What do we do, daze?" Korea asked, his arms wrapped around an irritated Thailand in a death-grip.

"Everybody calm down," Switzerland roared, his sudden appearance causing all of the countries present to jump. "Liechtenstein, go with Taiwan and... Wait, are you holding Iceland's hand? We'll talk about this later... Anyways, go with Taiwan and Iceland to gather any other nations that are fit enough to fight. China, Hong Kong, you two come with me. We need to set up a defensive perimeter. Scotland, I don't know if you and your siblings are strong enough to fight-"

"We are," Scotland interrupted gruffly, his green eyes determined. "Jus' tell us what ye want us to do."

Switzerland nodded. "Fine. Come with me and I'll determine your positions. Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, you three stay here and care for the wounded. None of you look well enough to fight, and I won't leave the weak unattended."

Thailand and Vienam frowned in displeasure but nodded in reluctant agreement and dragged a protesting Korea down the hall, Iceland and Taiwan close behind. Liechtenstein paused for a moment and glanced worriedly at her brother. Switzerland looked back at her, his expression grim.

"Join Thailand and Vietnam once you're done," he told her firmly. "Stay in the house, keep all the wounded in the safe room. Understand?"

"I- yes," Lila agreed quietly. "But Vash-"

"No buts, Lila," Vash growled. "You will stay here. I won't let you get hurt."

Liechtenstein sighed and nodded, her eyes locked on her brother as he turned and set off with the other fighting nations, his rifle hanging proudly across his shoulders.

"Be safe," she murmured.

"Ice!" Denmark called happily when the nation entered the Nordics' room, Liechtenstein and Taiwan close behind. "What's going on? What's with the sirens?"

"The aliens are attacking the house," Iceland explained tightly. "Switzerland wants us to find any nation strong enough to fight so they can help him defend this place."

Sweden nodded and got up from his place beside Finland on one of the beds in the room, ignoring the Fin's anxious look.

"'ll g'," he grunted. "B't Tino st'ys h'r'."

"What?" Finland gasped. "No! Berwald, I can-"

"Sve's right, Fin," Denmark interrupted, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "You're still weak and in no condition for a fight. Same with you, Norge."

"No way in hell am I staying here," Norway growled. "I agree that Finland and my brother should stay, but I won't."

"I'm strong enough to fight," Iceland interjected calmly. "And I make my own decisions, Lukas. Tino, stay here until someone comes to take you to the safe room. The rest of you, go to the front of the house to join Switzerland and the others. I'll be there shortly with Taiwan."

The Nordics nodded and exited the room, leaving a furious Finland behind.

"Oh, by the way," Denmark added suddenly. "Where's my ax?"

"Big brother has a weapons room near the front door," Liechtenstein told him helpfully. "Just grab what you need."

Denmark flashed her an insane grin and took off towards the weapons with Norway and Sweden close behind. Iceland chuckled and squeezed Liechtenstein's hand.

"You have no idea what you've just unleashed," he observed dryly.

Lila smiled at him shyly, unable to hide the unease she felt at the thought of him going to fight with Vash and the others. Emil noticed and squeezed her hand once more before following Taiwan further down the hall to England's room.

The three nations paused in the doorway, their eyes widening when they caught sight of America and England kissing passionately on the bed. Taiwan giggled excitedly and hastily snapped a photo with the camera she had hidden in her sleeve, murmuring something about showing the picture to Hungary and Vietnam later. England and America broke apart at the sound of the camera, their skin flushing deep red in embarrassment.

"Uh... How long have you three been standing there?" America asked warily. "And what's with the alarm?"

"Aliens are attacking," Iceland explained shortly. "America, we need you at the front with the fighters. We'll have one of the Asians take England to the safe room since he's too weak to fight."

America nodded and straightened his clothes as he got off of the bed, ignoring England's indignant spluttering.

"Right," he said, his face hardening into the expression that had struck fear into enemies of the nation for over a century. "I'll be right there."

"Alfred," England growled, his emerald eyes concerned and furious at the same time. "Don't you dare leave me behind, git."

America shot him a tight smile and bent to press a last kiss on the Brit's forehead. "Sorry, Artie. Maybe next time."

England sighed and wordlessly held out America's bomber jacket, his cheeks reddening at the shocked expression on the American's face.

"You told me to hold on to it, so I did," he muttered. "It was in my bag along with my weapons when I went to get you."

America nodded and shrugged on the jacket on his way out the door. Liechtenstein and the others watched him go before moving on, leaving England glaring at them from the bed.

Germany glanced up at the sound of the alarms, his blue eyes narrowing when he saw Prussia and Hungary jump out of the bushes a few feet away. He would have to talk to them about eavesdropping later...

"What's going on, bruder?" he yelled, his arms tightening protectively around the Italian huddled in his arms.

"Switzy's alarm," the Prussian yelled back, not really caring that his brother had caught him spying. "The aliens must be attacking us."

Germany frowned and pulled himself to his feet, Italy still clutched tightly in his arms.

"One of you get Italy to safety," he growled. "I will help fight the aliens."

"Germany..." Italy whispered anxiously, his caramel eyes wide and fearful beneath his auburn hair. "Germany, let me help."

"_Nein_," the German murmured firmly, his eyes soft. "You are too weak to fight now, Feli. Please, just stay safe this time. For me."

"Ve..." Italy nodded reluctantly and allowed Hungary to pull him towards the house while Prussia and Germany took off towards the group of countries that they could see gathered a few yards away.

"Tell Vash I'll be there in a minute," Hungary called over her shoulder.

Prussia nodded, his red eyes tight with concern. "Alright, but are you sure you don't want to stay back?"

"Gilbert Beilschmidt, if you suggest that again I'll kick your ass!" the Hungarian woman yelled back furiously. "Don't make me do a repeat of the Seven Year's War on you!"

Prussia chuckled humorlessly and followed his brother to the other nations gathered to protect Switzerland's house. He nodded in thanks when Hong Kong wordlessly handed him a sword and a pistol, his scarlet eyes taking in the other nations as they prepared for battle. Switzerland and China were at the front of the crowd discussing strategy with Germania and an unusually-serious America, their faces grim. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were spread to the west to cover some of the side entrances, where they were quickly joined by Iceland and Taiwan. Poland was standing to the east, his usually oblivious expression hardened into a fierce glare as he stood beside Russia and Belarus, two swords strapped to his hips. France and Rome were behind Prussia, with an arguing Spain and Romano behind them. Wait... arguing? Prussia drew closer to the small group, his eyes brightening with the prospect of causing more trouble.

"...I'm going to fight, dammit, and that's final!"

"Lovi, _por favor_, you don't need to-"

"Yeah, I do, Antonio. Now give me that fucking sword, since there's no way I can lift that fucking heavy ax of yours."

"I suggest you give in, Spaniard," Rome interjected calmly. "Lovino can get very... passionate if he doesn't get his way."

"_Oui_, and Antoine knows it," France chuckled. The Frenchman looked up as Germany and Prussia approached, his eyes brightening slightly. "Ah, there you are Gilbert. I was beginning to think that I would not have someone to watch my back since _mon cher_ Antonio will be so focused on his Lovino."

"Sorry, Francis, but I'll be watching over Liz this time," Prussia told him. "You know, if she doesn't kill me with a frying pan first."

France sighed dramatically. "Ah, _l'amour_... it is so beautiful, yet I confess it can be rather bothersome in a war. Very well, _mon ami_, I will simply have to, how you say, go solo."

"Ah, don't be that way, Frankie," Gilbert purred, enjoying the irritated glare the Frenchman shot his way. "Tonio and I will still watch out for you! We need you to get drunk with when all of this is over, anyways."

Germany rolled his eyes at his brother's antics and glanced towards the faintly gleaming barrier in the distance, his eyes narrowing when he saw movement just over the horizon.

"They are coming," he muttered, his grip tightening on the gun that Hong Kong had pressed into his hands several minutes ago.

The other countries stopped talking and followed the German's gaze, their own weapons held tightly in their grasp.

"Right," Prussia grunted, his eyes beginning to glow with blood lust. "Let's go kick some alien ass."

**Hey! Okay, so I don't own Hetalia... And, just so y'all know, I got a job this weekend! Yay! Of course, this also means that I will have less time to write but please stay patient with me, ok? I promise I'll try to update as quickly as I can!**

**Also, I'm starting to think about what I'm going to write after this, and I have two options. Since I can't decide, I want you guys' opinions!**

**Option 1:Pirate!EnglandxAmerica with background GerIta, Spamano, and PruCan, where America is forced to join England's crew and spy on him (and later kill him) for Pirate!France to save Canada. Or...**

**Option 2: The children of my top 5 pairings (USUK, RusCan, Spamano, GerIta, and Giripan) are kidnapped, and it's up to Prussia and Japan and Greece's daughter to track down the other children about 15 years later and figure out who wants the kids dead.**

**I promise, both are better than the summaries. So.. please tell me what you think and review! Please review! Reviews make me happy and inspire me to write, even though I'll probably lose a bit of sleep... Eh, oh well. REVIEW!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Gun shots rang through the air, shattering the uneasy silence that had fallen upon the house as the last of the alarms faded. Japan sat bolt upright in bed, ignoring the disgruntled moan from the Greek who had fallen asleep by his side shortly after China returned from battle.

"Heracles-kun," Kiku murmured. "I think that we are needed."

Greece sat up slowly, his green eyes still slightly glazed with sleep. He frowned slightly as more gunshots filtered through the closed window into their room, his hands reaching for the golden spear that he had left beside the bed.

"Right..." he mumbled. "You will... stay here?"

Japan frowned and shook his head, his hands already tightening around his beloved katana.

"Not a chance, Heracles-kun," he retorted. "Now, come on. I want to make sure that my siblings are alright."

The Greek sighed and followed his lover out of the room, his green eyes narrowing when he saw Korea and Liechtenstein hurrying past, a swearing England supported between them.

"Kiku!" Korea greeted happily. "You aren't going to fight too, are you daze? Mei and Li are out there with Yao, but they won't let me or An or Klahan fight because we're weak, even though fighting was invented in Korea, daze!"

"Calm down, please, Yong Soo," Japan sighed. "What's going on?"

"The aliens are attacking," Liechtenstein murmured quietly from behind England's shoulder. "Big brother wanted the weaker countries taken to the safe room while the fighters went out front to help."

"Ah, I see. ありがとう," Japan murmured with a slight bow. He waited until the three countries had disappeared from sight before he began to make his way towards the front door.

"Kiku..." Heracles called quietly.

Kiku glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing when he saw that his lover hadn't moved.

"We need to hurry, Heracles," he urged.

The Greek nodded slowly, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Please... won't you stay... where it's safe?" he sighed.

"なし," Japan snapped, his voice firm. "You know me better than that, Heracles-kun."

Greece chuckled humorlessly and hurried to his lover's side, his free hand reaching out to clasp Japan's tightly.

"Too true..." he mumbled. "Come on... I've got your back."

"I know," Kiku whispered.

America's battle cry broke through his lips as he ran forward to meet the aliens, his twin pistols glowing with heat. A triumphant smirk twisted mercilessly at his lips when alien after alien fell to his fury, his blue eyes flashing with cold fire.

Beside him, the American could hear China and Germania giving way to their own battle cries. China slammed his wok into the skull of the nearest alien, his dark eyes flickering back to where Taiwan and Hong Kong were slicing their way through their own adversaries. Germania lashed out with his spear, his crystal blue eyes widening slightly when Rome's gladius flashed close to his ear on its way to another alien's throat. The ancient countries paused for a moment and flashed each other pleased grins before moving on to the next enemy.

America chuckled and lashed out at another alien, his grin widening as Russia came up from behind him brandishing a lead pipe.

"Get your own enemies, you damn communist!" he yelled, his voice almost playful.

"You know, I've been meaning to tell you this for a while," the Russian mused, his pipe smashing mercilessly into the opposing army. Belarus darted past him with Poland at her side, their swords glittering bright silver in the shadows of the night. Poland caught America's eye for a moment as he passed, his green eyes flashing with a rarely seen battle fury. The American shivered and concentrated on the Russian beside him.

"You know, whatever you're about to tell me could probably wait until we're done killing people, commie!" he pointed out.

"Da, it could," Russia admitted. "But I feel that I should tell you now." The Russian paused, his creepy aura surrounding him like a violet cloak. "I am not a fucking communist, вы тупые американские! And after we are done fighting, I am going to do my very best to get your brother in bed with me. Also, your American vodka tastes like shit... Just saying."

America froze and stared at Russia, his mouth falling open into a large "O". Russia giggled cheerfully and made his way after Belarus, his lead pipe flashing in the moonlight moments before it collided with another alien skull. America snarled and fired several rounds at the nearest aliens, trying to resist the urge to fire his next bullets into a certain Russian's skull...

Vash snarled at the alien in his sights and fired, his expression remaining carefully neutral as the creature fell, its skull shattered to pieces by the blow of the bullets. He winced as Denmark's loud battle cry rose above the sounds of battle and turned briefly to see the spiky-haired Nordic dive into battle, his ax swinging with devastating accuracy into the torsos of his opponents. Sweden darted silently behind the Dane, his sapphire eyes flashing with a fury that could scare Russia as his staff slammed into the eyes of an alien that got too close to the Norwegian that huddled behind him. Norway nodded briefly in thanks, his palms glowing an eery yellowish green as he muttered in the ancient language of the vikings, his magic swirling around him in a deadly whirl.

Switzerland jumped as another gunshot sounded beside him, his eyes narrowing slightly when he saw Iceland standing calmly beside him. The white-haired Nordic returned Vash's gaze calmly, his gun still aimed at the alien that had attempted to take advantage of Switzerland's distraction. Vash nodded reluctantly in thanks and watched as Iceland darted away to join Sweden and Denmark. Damn, that kid was a good fighter... not that that meant that Switzerland would allow him to even think about dating Liechtenstein...

An alien loomed up out of the darkness, its clawed hands reaching for Switzerland's throat. The Swiss yelled and slammed the butt of his rifle into the side of the creature's skull before he fired three shots into it's brain. He pulled away as a second alien replaced the first, his face paling ever-so-slightly as he realized that he wouldn't be able to raise his weapon in time...

A brown and silver blur flashed past Vash and collided with the alien, nearly sending the stunned nation to the ground. Vash stared at his newest companion, his sea-green eyes focused on a single brown cowlick as the country slashed neatly through the alien's throat with his sword.

Roderich glanced back at him, his violet eyes flashing irritably.

"You idiot," he growled. "Didn't you always yell at me for becoming distracted in battle?"

Switzerland swallowed and struggled to speak around the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat. "You... You shouldn't be out here, you're still weak."

Austria snorted and rolled his eyes. He growled as another alien approached them, his sword cutting through the shadowy creature's neck like a knife through butter.

"Please, like that would keep me away," he grumbled.

Switzerland frowned and glanced around, searching desperately for a reason to send the Austrian back to safety. If Roderich was hurt... or worse, taken away again...

"Elizaveta!" he yelled when the Hungarian woman ran past him, her machine gun firing in sync with Prussia's pistol as the pair slammed into the front line of the aliens. "Tell your husband to get out of here!"

"_Ex_-husband, Vash," Hungary screamed back, her lip curling in a satisfied smirk when another alien fell beneath her bullets. She tossed her rifle over her shoulders and whipped out a frying pan, her hazel eyes gleaming in satisfaction when its cast iron surface slammed into an alien's face. "Besides, do you really think the stubborn fool would listen to me? Oh come on, Gilbert. That was pathetic."

Prussia only snarled in reply, his sword flashing like lightning in the night. Switzerland groaned and turned away from the pair as they joined France in a charge against the latest wave of aliens. Obviously they wouldn't be any help...

"Dammit, Roderich, get the hell out of here," he growled.

The Austrian ignored him and lunged at yet another alien, apparently ignorant of the alien that was taking aim at his unprotected-chest several yards away. Switzerland dispatched the creature before its fingers had even touched the trigger, his lips curving upwards in a rare expression of triumph. Served the bastard right for trying to attack Austria... Not that Vash cared...

"Roderich," Switzerland snarled. The blonde country reached out and grabbed Austria's arm, his eyes flashing with fury and concern. "Get inside. Please."

Austria glared up at him, his violet eyes hard. For a moment, the two countries simply stared each other down, neither willing to give in to the other. Then Switzerland roughly pulled the Austrian towards him, his lips crashing into Roderich's in an odd mixture of tenderness and passion. Roderich froze for a moment, his eyes widening in shock, before leaning into the contact, his own lips moving against Vash's. Only feet away- or was it miles?- Hungary squealed in delight and snapped a quick picture of the couple, ignoring the gagging noise that was currently coming from Prussia's throat.

Vash finally broke away after what seemed like an eternity, his eyes widening in panic as he realized what he had just done.

"Shit..." he gasped. "Roderich, I-"

The Swiss was interrupted by Belarus's bloodcurdling scream as an alien slashed past her defenses. Russia roared and struggled to reach his sister's side, but he was too late. The aliens had already passed over the fallen girl, their weapons cutting easily through the doors of Switzerland's home.

"Lila..." Vash whispered hoarsely.

Japan skidded to a halt at the sound of the scream, his brown eyes flickering back towards the hall that he and Greece had just left. The hall where three of his siblings were hiding, trying to stay away from the aliens...

Was that where the screaming had come from? Was it his sister Vietnam that had cried out? Or Liechtenstein?

"Heracles-kun..." Kiku whispered hoarsely, his eyes still staring in the direction of their injured fellows.

"We should go back," Greece murmured, his green eyes already flashing with fury.

Japan nodded numbly and began to run back in the direction they had come from, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't lose his family again... He couldn't fail the people he cared for again...

"Kiku..." Heracles whispered. "We won't let them get hurt, Kiku."

Liechtenstein jumped at the sound of the scream, her sea-green eyes locking with Finland's light blue gaze.

"They're coming," the Fin stated flatly.

Lila nodded and helped the Nordic to his feet, her brow furrowing as she glanced back at the other countries that had been confined to the safe room with them. Would they even stand a chance if the aliens reached them? Vash had told her about Italy's fighting skills, but the slender Italian was still weak from his death, and from the way he was clutching his white flag the country wasn't exactly in a fighting mood. Perhaps England and Canada would be of more help, but how long would they be able to last before their barely-returned strength gave out? The Baltics... could they even fight? She had only ever seen them cower from Russia... And Ukraine, would she be of any help? What about the three Asians?

"Liechtenstein," Finland said, his gentle voice interrupting the girl's thoughts. "We don't have much time, dear. Where is the weapons room that you pointed out toe Matthias?"

"We might not be able to reach it," Canada broke in, his violet eyes grim. "Depending on how far the aliens have gotten..."

"Is there another room, then?" England demanded. "Knowing Switzerland, he must have at other stockpiles of guns and whatnot..."

"Ve~ Is that what that big closet over there is for?" Italy asked timidly. "I... sort of emptied it out so I could put all of my pasta in there the last time I was here."

"คนโง่," Thailand growled. "You've doomed us all."

"A-actually," Lithuania interrupted quietly. "I h-have a gun and a sword, if that is any help."

The others stared at the usually quiet and gentle Baltic, unable to hide their surprise.

"How the bloody hell did you get weapons?" England asked incredulously.

Lithuania blushed and pulled aside the blanket that had been wrapped around his body like a cocoon, revealing the polished hilt of a sword strapped to his hip.

"I've always kept a gun on me since the Soviet Union broke up," he mumbled. "Feliks... gave me the sword before he left to fight. Raivis and Eduard both carry guns as well," he added as the two other Baltics nodded in agreement.

"Alright, that's four weapons," Canada muttered. "But that still leaves the rest of us unarm-"

"Wait!" Korea interrupted, his curl bouncing up and down as he leaped to his feet beside his siblings. "We need weapons? Weapons were invented in Korea, daze!"

"Yes, that's all very well you damn gi-" England began, only to have the words die in his throat when the Korea dumped a pile of AK-47s, various types of swords and throwing knives, and a gigantic spear that the Korean quickly grabbed.

"This is my spear, daze," Korea growled, his eyes narrowed as if daring anyone to take the 10-foot long weapon from his hands.

"Where the hell did you get this stuff from?" Canada gasped.

"It's best not to ask," Vietnam broke in before her brother could answer. She frowned when she caught a glimpse of a bamboo staff hidden beneath one of the swords. "Yong Soo, how many times have I told you not to steal my staff?"

"Staffs were invented in Korea~!"

"Right," Thailand muttered, his dark eyes weary behind his glasses. The Asian nation bent to retrieve two of the swords before glancing at Liechtenstein expectantly. "What's the plan?"

Lila hesitated and glanced beseechingly at Finland for assistance. The Nordic only smiled encouragingly at her before bending to investigate several of Korea's knives, his brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"I-I think we need to spread out and defend the hall," Liechtenstein whispered, trying to inject some firmness into her tone. "We should have some of the defenders armed with guns like my brother and Canada were last time to keep the aliens at bay until reinforcements can come. Only those of us who are the strongest at the moment should be fighting hand-to-hand with the aliens. That means that Thailand and Vietnam will have to be at the front, as well as myself and Korea. Finland, do you think that you are strong enough to be with us?"

"Of course," the Fin replied dismissively. "I wouldn't even have been here if it wasn't for Berwald's overprotective nature..."

"I want to be at the front as well," Lithuania broke in. "I have more battle experience than Raivis and Eduard."

"W-we can shoot, though," Latvia added quietly, his cheeks reddening when Liechtenstein looked at him.

"I'll take the two Baltics and cover the front with the guns," Canada broke in impatiently.

"I can shoot as well," Ukraine added shakily. "Ivan taught me during the Soviet Union."

"And I'll bloody well go wherever the hell I want to," England snapped. "Enough talking, we need to mobilize."

Liechtenstein nodded and accepted the AK-47 that Canada pressed into her hands, unable to stop the shiver that spread through her at the feel of the weapon in her hands. For a brief moment, her eyes met Italy's. The one country that had remained silent throughout most of the discussion glanced back at her, his wide green eyes worried as he clutched his white flag. Italy forced himself to smile when he saw the worry in the young girl's gaze, ignoring the memories of another young blonde country that had gone to fight and had never come back.

"Ve, it will be okay, Liechtenstein," Italy whispered. "Germany and Switzerland will come and help us and then we'll all eat pasta later!"

Lila nodded, hoping desperately that the Italian was right for once.

**Hey! Sorry for the long delay . My cousin got married this weekend, and between work and school I really didn't have much time last week...**

**Anyways, thanks so much for being patient! And I'm sorry if this is a bit short... I'll make the future ones longer, I promise!**

**By the way, in case you guys don't read my other Hetalia fic, I've decided to write the Pirate!EnglandxAmerica fic after this one is finished. So now you guys know what to look forward to if my teachers ever cut down on the mountains of homework they give us...**

** Also, a few notes: An is Vietnam, Klahan is Thailand. Korea's spear is really a traditional Korean weapon called a jangchang, and its supposedly really lethal (okay, any weapon in Korea's hands is lethal...). Also, Italy was thinking about Holy Rome in that last bit, in case you were wondering.**

**And I don't own Hetalia... Never did, really...**

**Translations:**

ありがとう (Japanese) Thank you

なし (Japanese) No

вы тупые американские (Russian) You stupid American

คนโง่ (Thai) Fool


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Canada crouched down behind the makeshift barrier of bed frames and mattresses that the countries had constructed, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he aimed his rifle at the end of the hallway. The Canadian felt Ukraine trembling beside him and wordlessly reached out to briefly squeeze her hand, his violet eyes never leaving the scope of the AK-47.

"It'll be alright, Katyusha," he murmured.

"Y-yes," the Ukrainian woman whispered. "Спасибі. And, Matvey?"

Canada glanced down at her, his eyebrows raised expectantly. "Yes, Kat?"

Ukraine smiled at his use of her nickname and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for caring for my brother."

Canada blushed and turned back to his gun, trying to ignore the knowing smile that Ukraine was now sending his way. Okay, now really wasn't the time to think about him and Ivan.

"How close are they, Lila?" he called out softly.

Liechtenstein frowned at him from her hiding place in one of the doorways. She cautiously pushed her head around the side of the door frame, her sea-green eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Not far now," she whispered. "We may have a few minutes until they reach us."

"Have they reached Toris and Klahan yet?" Estonia called, his free hand clasped tightly in Latvia's as he aimed his gun in the same direction as Canada's.

The sound of a gunshot and a harsh war cry echoed towards them from down the hall, answering Eduard's question. Liechtenstein gestured towards Vietnam and Finland, who were crouched in a doorway opposite her. The two nations nodded silently and darted down the hall to assist the other two countries. Lila waited for a moment after they had disappeared, her eyes meeting England's cool emeralds as he moved to her side with a trembling Italy.

"Wait until they can bring the aliens back into the hall," England advised her calmly. "Then we will attack."

Lila nodded and looked back at the place where her four companions had disappeared, a sigh of relief breaking through her lips when they came back into view, their faces shining with sweat and adrenaline.

"Jie atvažiuoja!" Lithuania yelled, his green eyes flashing. "Get ready."

Liechtenstein nodded and raised her gun to her shoulder. She heard England murmured something behind her and shivered when tendrils of green light began to thread past her towards the oncoming aliens.

"Stay back, please," Arthur called calmly, her green eyes gleaming with a savage glee.

Finland and Lithuania dove into a nearby doorway, Vietnam and Thailand close behind them, just as the first wave of aliens exploded behind them in a flash of green light. England laughed and reached for the sword strapped at his hip, ignoring the frightened looks that he was now receiving from Italy and the Baltics.

"Let's go," he growled. "I want to hear these bastards scream for mercy."

Lila gulped but nodded. She fired once into the air above the alien's heads, a reluctant smile making its way onto her lips when Korea dropped down from the ceiling into the midst of the aliens, his spear stabbing ruthlessly into any creature that got too close.

"Fighting was invented in Korea, daze!" he yelled triumphantly.

"Shut the hell up Young Soo!" Vietnam growled. The Asian nation leaped to her brother's side, her bamboo staff slamming into the chest of the nearest alien with an avenging fury. Thailand followed his sister closely, his own twin swords arcing gracefully into the air before stabbing into the creatures' exposed skin.

Liechtenstein waited until Finland and Lithuania had joined the fray before she nodded to Canada and the others.

A volley of gunshots shattered the air as several of the aliens fell. Lila saw Matthew smirk in triumph at the sight of the fallen aliens. She shuddered and followed England into the fighting, her rifle still positioned against her shoulder as she fired at the aliens nearest to her. Italy wordlessly appeared by her side, his slender hands already lifting the AK-47 out of her own as she reached for the sword that Finland had handed her. Liechtenstein hesitated, her green eyes meeting Italy's in a moment of pure panic. The Italian smiled at her in understanding, his shoulders shaking with his own barely-suppressed fear.

"It'll be okay," he mouthed before he shot down another alien, his eyes tightening at the sight of the dying creature.

Lila shuddered and whirled around as an alien appeared out of nowhere behind her, her sword seemingly slashing through the shadowy creature's neck of its own accord. The blonde girl stared down at the dead body in front of her, her stomach heaving in disgust at the sight of the blood pooling around her on her brother's floor.

"Don't stop," England yelled, his emerald eyes flashing with sadistic glee. The Briton lashed out with his own sword, a harsh laugh breaking through his lips as the aliens around him fell in twitching heaps. "If you pause for a moment, they'll kill you," he added, his furious gaze meeting Liechtenstein's. "Stay with Italy or Finland, they'll watch out for you."

Lila nodded and watched with wide eyes as Arthur moved on to his next opponent. Was this what he had been like when he was a pirate? On second thought, maybe she didn't want to know...

"Watch out!" Finland yelled.

Liechtenstein whirled around, her eyes widening when she saw the alien looming over her, its black mouth twisted into something like a sneer. She yelled and backed away, her foot catching on the outstretched arm of a dead alien. The young country fell backwards onto the ground, her eyes still locked on the creature that was coming towards her...

A katana blade slammed into the back of the alien's skull. Lila yelped as the creature fell towards her and rolled away, her gaze moving to the dark-haired Japanese man that stood above the corpse, his brown eyes strangely calm.

"私は以前ここで取得していないため申し訳ありません, Lila-san," Kiku greeted politely. "It is not easy to find your brother's safe room."

Liechtenstein laughed shakily and allowed the Japanese man to help her to her feet, her body shaking from the adrenaline that was still pumping through her blood.

"Thank you, Japan," she sighed.

Japan flashed her a small smile before darting off to assist Thailand, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he stabbed the alien that had tried to kill his brother. Liechtenstein jumped when another hand was laid on her shoulder, her wide eyes immediately locking on Greece's unreadable expression.

"Go and... get some of the others," he murmured. "We will...need some help if... we're going to last much longer."

Liechtenstein hesitated, her eyes flickering back to the other countries that were fighting and shooting at their enemies. All of them were able to fight while she was being sent away again... did that make her weak? Was that why Vash had never really trained her in battle?

Greece patted the girl on the shoulder, making her look up at him again. The Greek smiled at her kindly, his dark green eyes still flickering back to Japan every few seconds to make sure that his lover was safe.

"Innocence isn't weakness," he said, his voice untainted by sleep for once in his life. "Someday, perhaps, you will be immune to killing just like the rest of us... But not today. Now go. We won't be able to hold them back forever." The Greek pressed a pistol into the girl's hand and shoved her away from the fighting before he ran after Japan, his golden spear clutched tightly in his hands.

"My turn..."

They watched the blonde girl run away from the fighting for a moment before turning back to watch their people get killed. Shivers of pain ran through them with each shadow that fell beneath the Earth's protectors. How strange... Hadn't they been told that Earth would be easy to take? That its people were too busy fighting to ever put up an adequate defense? Yet, here these strange people were, fighting them... defeating them, it seemed.

"They still fight amongst themselves."

"Yes..." They watched as one of the dark-haired people- a female, by the looks of it- yelled at the man with the giant spear. They remembered how one of the brown-haired twins had tried to strangle one of his fellows, how the loud one with glasses continued to yell at the silver-haired one they called a communist.

"Perhaps they do not actually work together... Perhaps it is only a sham, something temporary until they can get rid of us."

"Perhaps... But there are some who seem to genuinely get along. How do we tell the difference?"

"Do we need to?"

"Yes."

"Then we must test them, yes?"

"Mm."

They watched the fighting for a few moments longer before looking back at the blonde girl who had run away, the only person that had hesitated to kill one of their own.

"Her?"

"It is an option..." There was a pause as they thought, their attention refocusing on the group that continued to fight outside of the large house.

"No. I have another idea."

They would see if Earth was worthy of being saved after all.

**Hehe, sorry if this is a bit confusing. In my defense, I had a really awful time at work today so I'm not exactly in my right mind...**

**Also, because I randomly feel like sharing this, I've just realized how obsessed I am with Hetalia, haha. I've taken to reading my US History textbook and I keep having tons of USUK moments.. Let's just say class is beginning to get really interesting for me (we're almost at the Revolutionary War, haha!)**

**Okay, back to business. I don't own Hetalia, and everyone who has reviewed/read/favorited this story is as awesome as Prussia! Please keep it up, okay?**

**Also, other random note, it's actually really fun writing for Korea... What does that say about my sanity? (Oh wait I have none...)**

**I promise I'll update as soon as I can, but it'll probably take another week or two, okay? Please be patient! And sorry for the short chapter -.- *goes and hides in a corner***

**Translations:**

Спасибі (Ukrainian) Thank you

Jie atvažiuoja (Lithuanian) They're coming

私は以前ここで取得していないため申し訳ありません (Japanese) I'm sorry for taking so long


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Switzerland slammed through the front door of his house, his lips twisted into a feral snarl as he searched for his sister. He paused as Germany and Russia ran past him, their weapons flashing in the dim light of his home as they attacked the few aliens that still remained in this part of the house. The Swiss followed them at a slower pace, his gun firing into the skulls of any alien that dared to show it was alive.

Austria watched Switzerland warily, his purple eyes combing the ruined halls of the house every few moments. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that something wasn't right...

"F''ls l'k a tr'p," Sweden murmured gruffly, his unreadable sapphire eyes showing the barest hint of worry behind his glasses as he followed the Austrian.

Roderich nodded in reluctant agreement, his hands clenching tightly around his sword.

"I don't like it," he murmured.

"Dammit, Roderich, hurry up!" Vash snapped, his expression wild with unsuppressed fury and fear. "We need to find them!"

Austria sighed and followed the Swiss that had somehow captured his heart, Sweden following close behind him. He knew that it wouldn't be long before the other countries came after them. Even without Germany, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland, the other countries were proving to be more than a match for the attacking aliens. It seemed odd, now that Austria thought about it, almost as if the strange creatures were giving up...

"Lila!" Vash's voice echoed back to the Austrian from farther up the hallway, his relieved and worried tone causing Roderich to hurry to the Swiss's side.

Liechtenstein gave Austria and Sweden a shaky smile when they came into view, her thin face half-obscured by Switzerland's shoulder as he pulled her into a tight hug. Austria gave a small sigh of relief when he saw the girl, his relief quickly fading when he heard Sweden's voice behind him.

"Wh'r' th' 'th'rs?" the Swede growled.

Liechtenstein flinched at the frightening expression on Sweden's face and gestured shakily behind her.

"W-we had to fight them off," she mumbled. "F-Finland and Canada helped me think up a plan, but I don't think our defenses will last that long."

Switzerland nodded, a small glimmer of pride in his sea-green eyes, and ran after Germany and Russia in the direction Liechtenstein had pointed to, his sister following close behind with Sweden and Austria.

X

Germany caught sight of Italy's dark hair a few feet away, his feet pounding against the blood-soaked wood of Switzerland's floors as he hurried towards the Italian. He caught Feliciano's eye for a moment, his heart leaping when he saw the brunette's green eyes light up with joy...

There was a flash of light and a loud crash and Germany was thrown backwards, the breath flying out of him as his body made contact with the wooden floor. Russia growled and ran past the fallen German, his body shuddering as he made contact with the nearly-transparent white barrier that now separated him from the other countries.

"Ivan!" Ukraine screamed from her place behind the makeshift barrier. The Ukrainian woman struggled to run to her brother, only to be held back by Canada as the aliens around them began to disappear in clouds of black mist.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" England shouted, his throat choked with the smoke that surrounded him.

"This is judgement."

Germany gingerly pulled himself to his feet, his blue eyes narrowing at the sound of that last voice. Who was talking? What did they mean by judgement?

"V-ve, Ludwig?" Feliciano called worriedly from the other side of the barrier. "Are you still there? I can't see you..."

"_Ja_, I'm here, Feli," Germany called back, struggling to make his voice reassuring. He turned as Switzerland and the others finally joined him, his expression grim.

"Switzerland, what is this?" he growled.

Vash shook his head and came closer to look at the barrier, ignoring the frustrated growls from the Russian that was still trying to force his way through.

"I don't know," the Swiss muttered. "This isn't like mine, I don't know how to stop it."

"Tino?" Sweden called, his voice rough with concern as he searched for his lover through the smoke that was still pressed against the barrier.

"I'm here!" Finland called back. The smoke cleared slightly, allowing the others to see the faint outlines of the other countries that were trapped behind the barrier. Russia sighed with slight relief when he caught sight of Ukraine and Canada standing near the Baltics, though his violet eyes remained dark with anger and worry.

"W-what's happening?" Liechtenstein whispered shakily.

"Judgment," the mysterious voice sighed again, its tone oddly serene. "Earth must be judged for its crimes."

"What the hell are you talking about?" England yelled, his face reddening in confusion and fury. "Who are you?"

"You would not recognize my name, Protector of Earth," the voice replied calmly.

"Please, why are you doing this?" Canada called before England could yell again. "Are you the one who has been kidnapping and attacking us?"

"Yes. And I have told you, Earth must be judged for its crimes."

"And how is that going to happen?" Japan asked coolly, his knuckles whitening as he clutched the handle of his katana.

The voice was silent for a moment as the voices of America and Poland echoed faintly down the hall, calling frantically for England and Lithuania.

"Wait," the voice replied finally. "You will all see soon enough."

"Who's talking?" America asked warily, his youthful face stained with blood and dirt as he joined the group by the barrier, the other countries close behind him. "What the hell- Arthur! Mattie! You guys okay?"

"Fine, Al," Canada replied wearily. "Well, we hope we're fine..."

"It is never good to base assumptions on hope," the voice called, its voice almost smug.

"Okay, like, who the hell are you?" Poland growled, his green eyes fierce as he tore his gaze away from Lithuania to search for the source of the voice. "And, like, what do you want with us?"

"Earth needs to be-"

"You keep saying that, daze," Korea broke in, his voice unusually serious. "What do you mean?"

There was a slight pause before the voice continued, as if it was carefully weighing its next words.

"There must be sacrifices," it whispered. "People must be killed for what Earth has done to our kind."

"What have we done, aru?" China growled, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously. "We have never fought your kind before."

"We came to Earth hoping to repair it," the voice whispered. "And we were met with killing. Every single one of you has killed at least one of our kind, and for the most part you have done this without hesitation. We came here to bring you peace, you gave us war. For that, it is fitting that you pay the price."

"You kidnapped us before we ever fought you," Rome growled. "In our world, that _is_ violence. We only reacted in self-defense."

"Perhaps," the voice allowed. "But it is not enough to absolve you of your crimes. However, we are not cruel. Only some of you will pay for your crimes."

"Who?" Norway called out, his normally-toneless voice cracking to reveal his own panic.

"Only those trapped in this place will be killed. The rest of you may leave and save yourselves, if you wish. We will leave your planet alone, allow you to rule it how you want."

There was silence after the voice had spoken, and all eyes went immediately to the gleaming barrier that separated the countries... and kept some of them trapped inside.

"Make your decision," the voice told them coolly.

China pushed past the countries in front of him until he stood before the barrier, his hands pressed uselessly against the gleaming wall that sent waves of pain through his body.

"No," he growled, his expression determined as he looked at his siblings.

"Yao, you need to go," Kiku whispered, his brown eyes pleading. The Japanese man reached back to clasp a silent Greece's hand in his own, his expression sad. "We will not blame you."

China simply snarled at his sibling and shook his head furiously. Taiwan and Hong Kong came up behind him and stood by his side, their expressions set.

"I will not leave, either," Mei whispered with quiet stubbornness. Li nodded silently and forced himself to smile at his trapped siblings.

"It would be extremely boring without you four," he admitted quietly. "Especially without Yong Soo."

Korea wailed and launched himself at the barrier, ignoring the shocks that the contact sent through his body.

"I don't want you all to die, daze!" he choked. "Please, it won't be that bad living without me, I promise! Promises were made in Korea!"

"Shut up, Yong Soo," his siblings murmured in unison, their lips curving upwards in identical smiles.

"We're not leaving," China said firmly.

"We don't want you to die," Thailand replied quietly.

America walked past the Asians and stood in front of the barrier, his eyes locking onto England and Canada's with a frightening intensity.

"You all know what my choice is," he growled. "So don't you dare try and change my mind."

"Al-" Matthew began, only to be cut off as Arthur's hand clasped his shoulder.

"You don't have to do this," Arthur murmured.

"Yeah, I do," Alfred whispered back, his lips curving upwards into his trademark grin.

"As do I," Francis added quietly. The Frenchman stood by America's side and smiled at Canada and England. "After all, what would I do without _mon petit Mathieu_? And, of course, life without _l'Angleterre_ would be incredibly boring."

"You could always find someone else to molest, Frog," England muttered, his mouth twisting into a reluctant grin.

"_Non_," France said firmly.

"Then I guess that means the awesome me is staying, too," Prussia spoke up, his scarlet eyes determined.

"Gil..." Hungary whispered, her eyes widening in surprise.

Gilbert flashed the Hungarian woman a weak smile and threw his arm around her shoulders.

"Aw, come on, Liz, what else am I supposed to do?" he teased halfheartedly. "You know as well as I do that Francis won't leave Birdie and Arthur, and since dear Lovino won't ever leave his brother, Antonio's not going to leave either. Besides," the Prussian added in a quieter voice. "I'm not leaving _mein bruder_."

Ludwig glanced up at his brother's words, his expression unusually soft.

"_Danke_," he murmured before turning back to the Italian that was watching him tearfully from the other side of the barrier.

"Ve... Please don't stay and die, Germany," Feliciano murmured.

"I won't leave you or Kiku, Feli," Ludwig growled. "We are friends, _ja_? Friends don't abandon each other."

Feliciano forced himself to smile wryly, tears still running down his face in miniature waterfalls.

"Ve... Only friends?" he whispered.

Ludwig chuckled and reached out to touch the Italian's cheek, his hands stopped by the painful surface of the barrier.

"_Nein_..." he whispered. "_Ich liebe dich_, Feli."

"Move out of the way, bastard," Lovino grumbled. He pushed past the silent German to join the vigil at the barrier, his expression stubborn. "Stop crying, _fratello_, you know we're not leaving."

"Ve... Lovi-"

"I swear, if you try and convince me to leave, I'll strangle you," the older Italian growled.

"Now now, Lovino, be nice," Rome chuckled. The ancient country moved to stand behind Germany and Romano, Germania silent at his side. "We're here as well, just so you know. We're not leaving."

"_Si_, _yo tambien_," Spain added, his usual cheerful smile slightly forced as he took Romano's hand. "I will stay with you until the end."

Lovino bit his lip and tightened his grip on the Spaniard's hand.

"Well, I'm staying," Hungary broke in, her face flushing slightly when Prussia's arm squeezed her shoulder. "No way would I leave my little Feli!"

"Kesese~ I guess my awesomeness has nothing to do with it, Liz?" Prussia chuckled.

Hungary snorted and reached out to grab the Prussian's chin. The Hungarian woman hastily pressed her lips against his before pulling away, a startled laugh breaking through her lips when she saw the startled expression on Gilbert's face.

"Surprised?" she whispered huskily.

Gilbert didn't answer, only pulled her closer, his lips moving hungrily against hers. Austria rolled his eyes at the display and glanced over at Switzerland and Liechtenstein, who had remained noticeably silent throughout the entire ordeal. Switzerland met his gaze with impassive sea-green eyes, his jaw tightening at the sight of the Austrian's purple eyes.

"I can't make you go, can I?" he murmured.

"No," Roderich replied. "Can I make you?"

"No," Vash sighed. He glanced down at his little sister and squeezed her hand, his eyes gentle. "You don't have to stay."

Liechtenstein was silent for a moment, her eyes going immediately to the unusually silent Nordics that had gathered in front of Finland at the barrier. Iceland's face turned towards her as if he had sensed her gaze, Norway's hand clasped tightly in his own. Emil gave Lila a small smile, his indigo eyes pleading.

"No, I want to stay," she said quietly. "I want to stay with my big brother."

"And Iceland," Vash chuckled. He grinned and kissed the girl's forehead when she shot him a panicked look, his face contorting in pain at the thought of his sister's death. "It's okay," he whispered thickly. "He's a good country... Lila?"

"Y-yes?" Liechtenstein choked, tears already welling up in her eyes.

"I'm proud of you."

Emil sighed when he saw Lila embracing her brother. He should have known that she wouldn't leave... She was too brave for that...

"Brother dear," Lukas whispered, immediately getting the youngest Nordic's attention. "Do you-?"

"No," Iceland interrupted, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I'm not leaving... brother dear."

A ghost of a smile flickered across Norway's face and he squeezed his brother's hand, a small squeak breaking through his lips when Denmark pulled him into a tight hug from behind. The Dane buried his spiky blonde hair into the Norwegian's shoulder, reveling in the lack of death threats from his Nordic lover. Norway sighed in defeat and allowed Denmark to hold him, not even bothering to say any loving farewells. They didn't need words.

Sweden was distantly aware of the actions of his siblings, although his gaze never left Finland's face. He watched as the Fin tried to smile comfortingly at him, tears running down his thin cheeks.

"You're not leaving," Tino whispered. It wasn't a question.

"No," Berwald murmured back.

Finland sighed and nodded, his eyes briefly leaving Sweden's face as he watched Ukraine and the Baltics cautiously approach Russia and Poland, their expressions set.

"Vanya, you need to leave with Natalya," Katyusha whispered.

" Нет," Russia growled. "I will not leave you, sister."

"Neither will I," Belarus's voice called stubbornly. The blonde limped slightly as she moved to her brother's side, her cold violet eyes determined. "I won't leave big brother and big sister alone now."

Ukraine chuckled wryly and nodded in defeat, her eyes unusually dry. "Я вас люблю, мої брати і сестри."

"Мы тебя тоже люблю," Russia whispered. He glanced once at the Canadian that had been watching them for a few moments and smiled. "_Je t'aime ainsi_, Matvey. "

Matthew blushed and smiled shyly. "I didn't know you spoke French, Ivan."

Russia chuckled. "Yes, well, there is much you do not know."

Canada's expression fell slightly. "I wish..."

"Da," Ivan sighed. "I know."

Poland shrugged past Russia and Belarus to face Lithuania, his green eyes daring Toris to send him away. Toris sighed and chuckled, his own green eyes sad.

"I can't make you leave, Feliks," the Lithuanian pointed out.

"Like, no one can," Poland growled. His expression softened for a moment and he pressed his own hand against the barrier, apparently immune to the shocks that came from its surface. "Kocham cię."

"Aš tave myliu," Lithuania whispered back. He glanced back at the other two Baltics that were huddled together behind him and reached out his hands towards them, a wry smile twisting his lips.

Estonia chuckled and took one of Lithuania's hands in his own, his other hand clasped tightly in Latvia's. Latvia reached out with his free hand and took Lithuania's other one, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"I guess we'll always be the Baltic trio," Eduard mused.

"Looks like it," Toris agreed.

"It kind of sucks," Raivis blurted out, his cheeks reddening immediately at his outburst.

"It does, actually," Lithuania laughed. The three Baltics drew closer together and turned back to Poland, their eyes closing as they waited for their judgment to come.

All around them, the other countries waited, their heads bent towards their loved ones. It was the end for them, but they were together.

Whatever happened, no one would be facing the end alone.

**Okay! Finally got that up! Yeah... That was kind of awful to write... Anyways, just got back from New Hampshire last night (Everyone who lives in New England, you guys are so lucky! That place is beautiful!). Sorry again for the delay, school is still murder (Did I mention that junior year is apparently the worst year of high school? Yeah, must have missed the memo on that one...)**

**PSATs are in a few days... wish me luck on them, okay? Also, thanks a million to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited this story! You guys are awesome to the degree of Prussia! Please keep 'em coming! Review!**

**Translations:**

*Quick note, since I've already made a lot of these translations in earlier chapters, I'm just going to put the new ones, okay?

(German) Danke- Thank you

(Spanish) Si, yo tambien- Yes, me too.

(Ukrainian) Я вас люблю, мої брати і сестри- I love you, my siblings

(Russian) Мы тебя тоже люблю- We love you too

(French) Je t'aime ainsi- I love you as well

(Polish) Kocham cię.- I love you

(Lithuanian) Aš tave myliu- I love you


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

They were silent as they watched the displays. Their people were gone now, shivers of pain no longer struck at their spines as their fellows were killed by Earth's protectors. For now, they felt nothing. They were numb.

Well... Not quite numb.

"Would it be wrong to destroy them?"

"Perhaps... Have you decided, then?"

"I believe so..."

"They still do not all get along."

"No. But I am starting to believe that this is just a part of Earth. It would never change, I suppose."

"Even if we were to take control?"

"No... Even without its protectors, Earth is strong. They would never truly give in."

"I see..."

"You do not agree?"

"...I do not know."

"Would you be able to kill them, then?"

"Perhaps..."

"But you would regret it."

"Yes... eventually."

"Then we have made our decision."

"It would seems so."

X.

Germany stiffened as the barrier rippled, his eyes widening when the glowing wall disappeared between him and the others. Italy yelled and launched himself at the waiting German and his brother, his arms wrapping tightly around their necks. Germany and Romano staggered under the younger Italian's weight before they were steadied by Rome and Germania. Prussia cackled with laughter and launched himself onto his younger brother and the Italians, Spain and Hungary following close behind him while the two ancient countries chuckled.

Finland laughed at the Italian's antics before he was pulled into Berwald's bone-crushing embrace, his thin face buried in the Swede's trembling shoulders. Denmark crowed in triumph and threw his arms around the couple, Norway still tucked against his side. The Norwegian yelped in alarm and grabbed Iceland for support, effectively dragging his sibling down with him. America grinned at the pile of Nordics, his own arms already wrapped securely around Canada and England. France giggled and ran his hand through the Canadian's hair, causing the younger blonde to blush and glance over at the Russian that was currently being smothered beneath his sisters' affectionate hugs. Russia flashed the Canadian a strained smile from between his sisters' arms and gently tried to maneuver himself out of Ukraine and Belarus's tight embraces, only to be pulled back by Belarus.

China yelled out in shock when he was tackled by Korea, his bright red face nearly obscured by the rest of his siblings as they piled on top of him in a gigantic hug. Japan chuckled and stood back for a moment, his cheeks flushing a bright pink when Greece wrapped his arms around him from behind. Poland winked suggestively at the pair and flung himself onto a blushing Lithuania, somehow managing to include the other two Baltics in his frantic embrace.

Austria stood apart from the numerous hugs and excited murmurings of reunited couples, his hand clasped tightly in Switzerland's. He smiled slightly when Liechtenstein hesitantly left her brother's side to save Iceland from being crushed beneath his enthusiastic siblings.

"What do you think is happening?" he asked Vash quietly.

The Swiss shrugged. "Calm before the storm?" he suggested flatly, his sea-green eyes worried.

"No."

Switzerland and Austria jumped and whirled around, their eyes widening when they saw the two shadows standing behind them. One of the shadows nodded to them in greeting and pushed strands of her inky black hair behind her shoulder. The other shadow stood silently by her side, his- was it a he?- head bowed as if in deep thought.

"Earth has been judged," the female shadow murmured, her cool voice somehow audible to Roderich and Vash over the noise created by the other countries. "We have realized our error. You are free to go on as you wish, we will not bother you."

Austria stared blankly at the two shadows and glanced at Switzerland out of the corner of his eyes, his eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw the strangely-calm expression on the Swiss's face.

"You won't hurt our people again?" he asked warily.

"No," the female shadow assured him. "We will not return. Your lands will be returned to how they were, your people will not be harmed. It will be as if we never came."

"Will we... forget about you?" Vash asked cautiously. "About everything that happened to us?"

The female shadow hesitated and looked at her companion, her black hair flowing gently behind her as if in a slight breeze. Her companion shrugged and looked over at the other countries that were still celebrating, oblivious to the presence of the last two aliens.

"Perhaps not," the second shadow murmured. "Do you wish to forget?"

"No," Roderich broke in before Vash could reply. The Austrian looked over his shoulder at his fellow countries, allowing his purple eyes to sweep over the various families. His gaze lingered for a moment on his ex-wife as she pulled Prussia close, a small smile teasing the edges of his lips. "No," he repeated quietly. "I wouldn't forget any of this for the world."

The female shadow chuckled and stepped away from the two countries, her gaze resting on all of the countries for a long moment.

"We only wanted to help this world," she sighed.

"We didn't need any help," Switzerland shot back, a hint of his well-known anger appearing in his eyes.

The female shadow nodded, a smile appearing briefly on her serene black face.

"So we have seen," she murmured. "You may tell the others that we are gone. I wish your planet good luck, protectors of Earth."

Switzerland and Austria nodded in return and watched as the last two aliens faded away, leaving faint black wisps of smoke behind. Vash sighed in relief and unconsciously wrapped an arm around Austria's waist, ignoring the embarrassed growl that the Austrian sent his way.

"So... you don't want to forget?" the Swiss questioned, his tone curious.

Austria shook his head and turned to press his lips against Vash's lips, his cheeks flaring a bright red at the expression in Switzerland's eyes.

"No," he murmured, his violet eyes unexpectedly gentle. "Besides," he added brusquely. "Elizaveta would kill me if I made her start all over again with Prussia."

Switzerland chuckled and pulled the Austrian close, his eyes flickering warily in the direction of the other countries to make sure that no one was watching them. A wry smile twisted his lips when he saw that no one was looking and he kissed Austria, a low moan breaking through his lips when Roderich responded in kind. The two countries stiffened at the sound of a camera and looked over in time to see Hungary hide a digital camera behind her back, her expression slightly guilty.

"Roderich..." Vash growled. "I'm going to kill your ex-wife."

"Watch out for her frying pan," Roderich responded calmly.

**Okay... short chapter, I know, but the next one will be longer, I promise! Actually... the next one will also be the last one, hahaha!**

**Thanks for all of the reviews you guys gave me! Sorry I was so cruel last chapter but... Well, it was fun! (Yes, I know I'm sadistic... Sue me). Also, good luck on everyone else who had to take those blasted PSATs, and thanks to those who wished me luck. Please keep up the reviews, okay? They make me sooo happy! Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Two Weeks Later...

"Ok, so, you just press this button, and then this one, and then you shoot lasers at the- Iggy, are you even listening?"

"Of course I am, you bloody git," England growled, his bushy eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he tried to maneuver his player across the television screen. "Bloody hell, how can you even play this... Oi! How did I get shot there? I was perfectly covered!"

America laughed and playfully ruffled the Brit's hair, a fond smile making its way to his lips when the Briton flushed and grumbled under his breath.

"Sorry, Artie," he cooed. "I guess awesome American games are just too much for- Hey! That is totally not fair!"

Arthur chuckled, his emerald eyes flashing in triumph. "Sorry, love, but you know the saying- All's fair in love and war."

Alfred pouted for a moment before tossing his game controller to the side, his arms wrapping around Arthur's smaller waist as he pulled the Brit towards him. Arthur yelped and glared up at the American that was now holding him, his cheeks flaring a bright red.

"I thought you wanted to play a game?" England muttered gruffly.

America winked and leaned closer, his breath playing across England's lips.

"I do wanna play," he whispered huskily. "Just not that type of game..."

Arthur blushed, unable to hold back a slight moan as Alfred pressed their lips together. The American gently pushed England back onto the couch, his hands effortlessly slapping Arthur's game controller out of his hands. Arthur growled and forced Alfred's lips apart with his tongue, his hands reaching for the hem of America's dirty T-shirt...

"_Dieu..._ Can you two not do that right now?" Canada broke in, his quiet voice a mix of irritation and amusement. "I'm trying to figure out what to wear..."

"Why the hell do you need our advice?" America shot back, annoyed at being interrupted. "And I'd just as soon have you ditch that commie so my opinion doesn't really matter here."

Matthew ignored his brother and shot a pleading look at Arthur, who was simultaneously trying to throw Alfred off of him and hide in the worn fabric of the American's couch. England sighed and sat up reluctantly, effectively sending America sprawling onto the ground.

"Really, lad, I don't see anything wrong with what you have on," the Englishman muttered, his green eyes carefully taking in the carefully pressed black slacks and lavender blouse that the Canadian had thrown on beneath his dark gray blazer.

Canada sighed and shot his own glance down at the outfit, his lilac eyes narrowed in uncertainty. "I don't know... Are you sure it's alright? I mean, Ivan said we were just going to the movies so I don't want to be too formal... But, then again, he always dresses so nicely and I don't want to make a bad impression... _Mon Dieu_, and my hair is just awful today- why won't that damn curl lay flat?"

"Mattie, dude, calm down," Alfred groaned, his blue eyes exasperated. "It's just a freaking date."

"Shut up, Al," Canada growled. "This isn't _just_ a date! It's our first official one and I want to do this right! Besides, you were just as bad when you and Arthur first-"

"Right! Um, that jacket looks nice," America interrupted hurriedly, his cheeks flushing bright red when he caught sight of England's smirk.

"You think so?" Matthew wondered, easily distracted from his taunting. The Canadian's brow furrowed for a moment, his violet eyes thoughtful. "Do you think I should bring a condom...?"

"Ohmygod, _please_ don't go there!" Alfred groaned. The American slapped his hands over his ears and ran out of the room, his blue eyes squinted shut beneath his glasses. Canada winced delicately when his brother promptly ran into a wall and shot an apologetic glance at England.

"Sorry, guess I kind of ruined the moment for you two..." he mumbled.

England sighed and gently patted the Canadian on the shoulder. "It's quite alright lad... I'm used to his antics."

Canada chuckled and nodded, the blood draining from his cheeks when he heard the doorbell ring.

"O-oh, th-that's him," he whimpered. "D-do I go now or should I wait? I mean, I d-don't want to look eager b-but it would be rude to-"

"Just go answer the damn door!" America howled from somewhere inside the house. Canada glared in the general direction of his brother's voice and hurried to answer the door, a small smile twisting his lips when he caught sight of the equally-nervous Russian standing on the other side.

Russia smiled back and hesitantly offered a large bouquet of sunflowers, his round face brightening when the Canadian grinned and took the yellow flowers.

"So... Matvey is ready to go, da?" Ivan asked cautiously.

Matthew nodded and gently handed the flowers to England before following Russia to the waiting Mercedes, his expression darkening in confusion when he saw Lithuania and Poland waiting patiently in the front seats of the car.

"What-?" he began.

"Like, we're totally here to make sure Russia doesn't screw up since he's, like, not that good at this sort of thing," Poland called cheerfully from the passenger seat, earning himself a creepy smile from said-Russian. Lithuania shuddered and gave his boyfriend's hand a warning squeeze before navigating the car out of America's driveway, his expression nervous.

"W-where to, Mr. Russia?"

"The movies, da?" Russia replied happily. "Matvey and I are going to see a movie, right~?"

"Y-yes, sir," Toris mumbled, his foot pressing shakily on the gas pedal as the car lurched forward.

Ivan giggled at the Baltic nation's discomfort, earning himself a disapproving glance from Matthew. Russia chuckled again and pulled the Canadian close. He gently rubbed his cheek against the top of Canada's silky golden head, causing Matthew's cheeks to redden in embarrassment.

"Mm... Matvey is so cute when he tries to correct me," Russia whispered silkily.

Canada's blush deepened and he relaxed into the Russian's grip, a small smile playing across his lips. Poland chuckled and the display and grinned mischievously at Lithuania, who stubbornly refused to take his eyes off of the busy road. Feliks just laughed and reached into the pocket of his bright pink coat, his fingers brushing across the sleek edges of the camera Hungary had slipped into his hands.

Elizaveta would _love_ him for this...

X.

"Ve~! Look, Ludwig! More ducks! Can we feed them, Ludwig, please?"

Germany sighed and watched as Italy ran towards the lake, his curl bouncing erratically as he tried to catch up to the ducks that were now landing on the water's surface. A small smile twisted his lips when most of the ducks quacked in annoyance and flew away from the loud Italian, his smile fading immediately when several other ducks decided to charge at Feliciano, sending the fearful Italian running back to him.

"Ve! Ludwig! Ludgiw! Save me!" Feliciano gasped, his green eyes wide beneath his auburn hair.

Germany sighed again and pulled the Italian out of the ducks' paths, his expression stern.

"You should be more quiet around animals like that," he admonished. "Stop making them attack you."

Italy grinned unrepentantly and snuggled into the German's broad back. "Ve~ _Mi dispiace_, Ludwig..."

"I know, Feli." Germany paused for a moment, enjoying the sensation of the slender country snuggled against his back. Then his cheeks reddened when he remembered that they were in a public park and he hastily pulled away. Italy pouted but allowed this, his slim hand reaching out to clasp Ludwig's in a steely grip. The German's blush deepened and he hastily pulled the Italian further into the park, hoping that no one would notice the display of affection...

_Click_.

Hungary giggled and glanced down at the camera clutched tightly in her hands, her green eyes glittering with excitement between the branches of the bush that she was hiding in. Man, Ludwig and Feliciano took great pictures... Maybe, if she was lucky, she'd be able to get a kiss or two caught on tape...

The Hungarian woman squeaked in surprise when a pair of pale arms wrapped themselves around her waist, her lips curving into a knowing grin when Prussia buried his white head into her shoulder.

"Aw, come on, Liz," the Prussian groaned, his scarlet eyes gleaming mischievously. "Are we just supposed to sit in a bush stalking _mein bruder_ all day? This is supposed to be a _date_."

"I had thought about it," Elizaveta admitted casually. "Why? Was there something you wanted to do?"

Gilbert grinned wolfishly and burrowed his face into the woman's hair, his lips pressing teasingly against the sensitive skin behind her ear lobes.

"I can think of a few things," he purred.

Elizaveta flushed and glanced reluctantly towards the path where Germany and Italy had disappeared. Well, there would always be other opportunities for pictures...

X.

"Ow! Norge, you stepped on my foot!"

"Shut up, Matthias."

"Noooorrggee! Why are you so meeaaannn?"

"Please be quiet, I'm trying to listen-"

Iceland rolled his eyes at his family's less-than-subtle attempts to spy on him. He glanced down at the young girl walking quietly beside him, his indigo eyes traveling down to their clasped hands. Liechtenstein looked up at him and smiled, her sea-green gaze slightly nervous.

"Is everything alright?" Lila asked quietly, her cheeks dusted with a delicate pink blush.

Emil nodded silently, his eyes tightening in embarrassment when he heard another outburst from Denmark.

"I'm sorry about my family," he murmured. "They really don't know the meaning of personal space."

Liechtenstein chuckled and glanced over her shoulder, her blush deepening when she caught a glimpse of Denmark's spiky blonde head above the branches of one of the many shrubs that dotted Switzerland's grounds.

"It's okay," she mumbled shyly. She paused for a second, her blush deepening. "Um... I think my brother is watching us, too."

Emil frowned and allowed his eyes to rake across the rolling green lawns surrounding the Swiss's mansion. "I don't see him..." Then again, Vash was a lot more subtle than his family...

Iceland sighed as Norway finally snapped and began to yell at Denmark several feet behind them.

"I guess this could have gone better," he mused.

"I don't mind," Liechtenstein said quietly. The girl's hand tightened around Iceland's, her eyes darting shyly up to his.

Iceland smiled softly and reached out to brush a few strands of her hair out of her face, his fingers brushing gently against the deep purple ribbon in her hair.

"No," he sighed. "I don't mind either..."

"AW! Norge, your brother is soooo cute!"

"Stop hugging me, dammit Matthias!"

"DENMARK! NORWAY! STOP FOLLOWING US OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL KILL YOU!"

Liechtenstein laughed at the sight of Iceland yelling at his relatives, her free hand pressed lightly against her lips to muffle the sound.

X.

"Vash, will you please put the gun down..."

"No," Switzerland growled, his blue-green eyes narrowed as he glared into the scope of his rifle at the two young countries that were walking across his lawn. If that Nordic tried anything with his little sister...

"I thought you were fine with Lila going out with Emil," Austria pointed out flatly, his purple eyes never leaving the sheet music in front of him.

"I- Well- He's- She's my little sister," the Swiss grumbled stubbornly.

"And Hungary is my ex-wife. That doesn't mean I'm going to follow her around on her dates with Prussia."

"That's different... Are they holding hands?"

"Really, Vash, will you calm down?" Roderich snapped. "You're being ridiculous."

Vash looked up from his gun to glare at the Austrian, his expression so similar to a pout that Roderich nearly laughed at the sight. Switzerland's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Austrian's restrained smile, his expression suddenly wary.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Austria muttered, struggling to hide the blush that was now spreading across his cheeks.

Switzerland smirked and finally walked away from his rifle towards the dark-haired country. The Swiss leaned over Roderich, his eyes glinting almost in an almost predatory way.

"Liar," he breathed, his lips hovering mere inches away from Austria's.

Austria glared up at the Swiss, small shudders rippling through his body when Vash's hand brushed against his curl.

"Get off," he grumbled.

Switzerland huffed and pressed a quick kiss to the Austrian's lips before hurrying back to his rifle, his eyes widening in shock when he caught sight of Liechtenstein and Iceland.

"H- Why the hell are they kissing?"

Austria rolled his eyes and gently put aside his sheet music before running to restrain the Swiss. Poor Iceland... He hoped the young man knew what he was getting into...

X.

"Heracles-san, are you sure that you want to do this?"

"Hmm... Why? Don't you want to?"

Japan blushed furiously and cast a wary glance towards the bright red door that led into China's house, his brown eyes narrowing when he caught sight of movement behind Yao's curtained windows.

"I... It is going to be chaotic," he warned quietly.

"Probably... But I don't mind when you're here."

Kiku's blush deepened and he nodded, a small smile curving his lips. The Japanese man silently handed a small clay pot to Greece before approaching China's door, his hand raised to knock against the wood.

The door was flung open before Japan's fist could make contact with it, revealing an ecstatic Korea.

"Kiku!" Yong Soo called happily. "You came! Did you come in a car? Cars were invented in Korea, daze!"

Japan winced delicately as the Korea pulled him into a tight hug, an involuntary smile making its way to his lips.

"Hello, Yong Soo," he murmured. "Um... could you please not strangle me?"

"Yong Soo!" China snapped, his flustered face appearing behind Korea as he struggled to pull the excited nation away from Japan. "Give Kiku some space, aru."

"But Yao!" Yong Soo whined.

There was a sigh from behind China and Hong Kong stepped in to join the struggle, his unreadable expression cracking slightly to reveal amusement at the Korean's antics.

"Hello, Kiku," Li greeted.

"Hello, Li," Kiku sighed. "Have Mei, Klahan, and Anh arrived yet?"

"We're here!" Taiwan called happily from inside the house. "Kiku, did you bring Heracles?"

"Yes..." Japan glanced over his shoulder at the Greek, who looked like he was about to fall asleep... again. "Perhaps one of you could help him with the food?"

"Of course!" Taiwan and Vietnam hurried out of the house towards the Greek, carefully avoiding the tangle of men around Korea and Japan. Greece smiled sleepily at the two girls and allowed them to drag him back to China's house, his green eyes flickering towards Japan and the others as Thailand joined the fight to pull Korea off of the Japanese man.

Greece's eyes narrowed and he stepped towards the knot of Asians, his hands effortlessly pulling Japan out of the chaos and into his arms. Korea yelped in shock at the disappearance of Japan and fell back onto China and Hong Kong, sending the all three of the nations sprawling onto the sidewalk. China groaned and glared at the Korean on top of him.

"Get off me, aru!" he growled.

"But I'm comfortable here, daze!" Korea whined.

Japan chuckled and allowed himself to lean back in Greece's embrace for a brief moment, ignoring the excited whispers that his sisters were exchanging behind his back.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, Heracles-san?" he whispered.

"Yes..." Greece murmured. "I like your family... They're fun... But..."

"But what?"

"They need to get cats..."

X.

Finland sighed in relief and settled back onto the couch next to Sweden, a small smile curving his lips when the Swede wrapped strong arms around his shoulders.

"I finally got Peter to get some sleep," Tino murmured. "He didn't want to stop ranting about Arthur dating Alfred."

Berwald nodded and glanced in the direction of Sealand's room. The boy had somehow escaped all contact with the aliens, and never tired of complaining about everything that he had missed.

"H's h' st'pp'd t'lk'ng ab'ut the ali'ns?" he mumbled.

Finland hummed and snuggled into Sweden's embrace, enjoying the feeling of Berwald's arms around him.

"He doesn't understand how lucky he was to miss everything," Tino sighed. "I swear, if he had been in that mansion when they were threatening to kill us..."

Berwald frowned and tightened his grip on the Fin. He hated being reminded of that time... When he had come too close to losing his wife.

"I never got to thank you for staying with me," Finland mused.

"Y' d'n't need t' th'nk m'," Sweden sighed.

"Yes I do." Finland turned in the Swede's arms and started kissing the larger man's forehead, eyelids, and lips. Sweden groaned and pulled the Fin tightly against his chest, his own lips moving hungrily to meet Finland's own. Finland whimpered and allowed the Swede to push him down onto the couch, his hands moving to the top button of Sweden's shirt...

The two Nordics froze when they heard Sealand's voice echo down the hall, his tone slightly frightened.

"An'th'r n'ghtm'r'?" Sweden groaned.

"Yes," Finland sighed. "I'll go and check on him."

Sweden nodded reluctantly and allowed the Fin to get up from the couch, his sapphire eyes following the smaller Nordic from behind his glasses. A small smile made its way to his lips when he heard Finland's soothing voice join Sealand's whimpers, his expression softening. His family was well, Norway and Denmark weren't barging into his house, and the world was at peace...

All was well... Until Denmark came back from stalking Iceland.

**And... That's the last chapter! Hehe, hope you guys liked it!**

**Well, I really liked writing this, and I'm glad that a lot of other people seemed to like it too! Thanks to everyone for all of the awesome reviews/favorites that this story got! You are all as awesome as Prussia!**

**I'm not sure when I'll get the first chapter of the pirate!USUK story up, but I'll try and put it up soon, okay?**

**Thanks again for everything! **

**Luxio Nyx**


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